# Pension contributions for library workers fall to 31% from 2027

> Public library workers will pay less towards their pension from 1 January 2027, while the unions and employers say the pension they can expect to build up stays the same.

Economy · published 2026-11-11 05:33 · https://nlnow.nl/a/pension-contributions-for-library-staff-fall-to-31-from-2027/

The total pension contribution for public library workers will drop from 32.49% to 31% of the pension base on 1 January 2027. The unions and the employers' association VOB (Vereniging van Openbare Bibliotheken), the parties to the sector's collective labour agreement (cao), made the decision last week.

**Why it matters**

- From 1 January 2027 the total contribution will be 31% of the pension base, down from 32.49%.
- The split stays the same: the employer pays 75% and the employee 25%.
- The pension scheme and the pension savings people can expect stay the same, the unions and employers say.

The unions and employers say calculations show the same pension ambition can be met with a lower contribution. They give two reasons: the economic and financial outlook has improved, and the pension fund's investments are expected to yield higher returns than previously assumed.

The decision follows an exploration agreed in the cao for public libraries 2026-2028. It looked at lowering the contribution and at dividing it differently between employers and employees. That study was completed last week.

Staff have been saving for their pension in the solidarity contribution scheme of Pensioenfonds Openbare Bibliotheken (POB) since 1 July 2025.

## Background

- **VOB (Vereniging van Openbare Bibliotheken)**: The Vereniging van Openbare Bibliotheken is the employers' association for public libraries in the Netherlands. It is one of the parties that negotiate the collective labour agreement (cao) for library staff, representing the employing libraries on the employers' side. Its decisions on pay and conditions apply across the sector's public libraries.
- **cao (collectieve arbeidsovereenkomst)**: A cao, or collective labour agreement, is a set of employment terms such as pay, working hours and leave, negotiated between employers' associations and trade unions for a particular sector. In the Netherlands these agreements usually apply to all employees in that sector, whether or not they are union members. Changes to the cao, including pension arrangements, are agreed by the negotiating parties.
- **Pensioenfonds Openbare Bibliotheken (POB)**: Pensioenfonds Openbare Bibliotheken is the pension fund that administers the pension scheme for staff of public libraries in the Netherlands. It runs the sector's pension arrangement, including the solidarity contribution scheme, under which pension is built up collectively for all participants. Employees and employers pay contributions to the fund, which invests them and pays out pensions when staff retire.

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