Ynflaasje trof de earmen it hurdst. De riken krigen it earst werom.
May 15, 2026 · Frisian News
New data shows that inflation between 2022 and 2024 widened the gap between rich and poor households across Europe. Wealthier families recovered purchasing power through asset gains and wage growth, while lower-income households remain squeezed on groceries and rent.
FryskIn supermarktmeiwurkster yn Amsterdam keapet hjoed minder aaien as yn 2021, al is de offisjele ynflaasje 'ôfkoele'. Har ferhierder ferheege it hier twa kear. Har lean stiig wat. In accountant út Rotterdam seach syn portefúlje fan belaazjingen yn deselde perioade aansjenlik groeie, syn salaris gie ruim boppe ynflaasje omheech, en syn hypoteek bleaun fêst op in lege fêste rinte fan jierren lyn. Dizze kleau tusken húshâldings waard skerp breder yn Nederlân, Belgje en Dútslân fan 2022 oant 2024, neffens koartlyn publisearre ekonomysk ûndersyk.
Offisjele statistiken fertroebelen it ferhaal. Sintrale banken kundigen om 'e midden fan 2024 hinne oan dat se de ynflaasje de baas wurden wiene, en de haadsifers seagen der goed út. Mar dy sifers ferbergje wat ûnderoan en bopeaan de ynkommensladder barde. Earme húshâldings bestegen in folle grutter diel fan har budzjet oan iten en enerzjy. Doe't dy prizen omheech sketten, snieden sy oare útjeften yn om te oerlibjen. Fiedselbanken meldden yn 2023 aansjenlik mear besikers as foar de pandemy. Rike húshâldings bestegen in folle lytsere diel oan deselde needsaaklikheden. Sy koene de skôk opfange en sels mear útjaan oan restaurants en fakânsjes doe't it fertrouwen weromkaam.
Leangroei fertelt in dúdliker ferhaal oer wa terrein ferlear. Wurknimmers yn logistyk, detailhannel en soarchberoppen seagen fan 2022 oant 2024 gemiddeld ferhegings ûnder ynflaasje. Technysk personiel, managers en professionals yn finânsjes diene it aansjenlik better. Sektoaren mei legere leanen hiene de skerpe personieltekorten, mar de minste ûnderhannelingskrêft mei wurkjouwers. In logistyk sjoffeur út Hamburg fertelde ús dat syn lean per oere yn trije jier amper stiig. Syn hier gie flink omheech. Hy wurket no mear oeren as foar de ynflaasjepyk.
Eigners fan aktiva bouwen fermogen op, wylst dyjingen dy't inkeld fan lean libben wetter trapen. In beskieden oandieleportefúlje of fêst guod behelle tusken begjin 2022 en ein 2024 aansjenlike winsten foar in soad húshâldings. Foar guon oerstiigen dy winsten wat in supermarktmeiwurkster yn in hiel jier fertsjinnet. De measte earme húshâldings ha gjin oandielen en min eigen guod. Yn lannen dêr't hierprizen ynflaasje folgje, streekten ferhierders leanwinsten hast fuortendaliks yn. De fermogenkonsintraasje dy't ynflaasje nei alle gedachten bedrige, kaam foar it boppeste desyl nea ta útdrukking. Foar elkenien oars spande it oan.
Sintrale banken snieden de rintetariven fanôf ein 2024, mar sparjild en pensjoenen fan âlderen mei legere ynkommens bleaunen útholle. Immen dy't libbet fan in beskieden fêst pensjoen ferlear echte keapkrêft dy't leannivellearring nea werombrocht. Oerheidsútjeften foar sosjale feiligens hiene yn de measte lannen amper gelyk pas mei ynflaasje. De earmen pasten oan troch minder te keapjen en neat te sparjen. Dy gewoante bliuwt sitten, ek no't prizen stabilisearje. Fertrouwen, ienris brutsen, herstelt him net gau.
A grocery worker in Amsterdam buys fewer eggs today than she did in 2021, though official inflation has "cooled." Her landlord raised rent twice. Her wages went up modestly. Meanwhile, a Rotterdam accountant's investment portfolio climbed significantly in the same period, his salary rose well above inflation, and his mortgage stayed locked at a low fixed rate from years back. This gap between households widened sharply across the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany from 2022 through 2024, according to economic research published recently.
Official statistics flattened the story. Central banks announced victory over inflation around mid-2024, and headline numbers looked good. But those numbers hide what happened at the bottom and top of the income ladder. Poor households spent a much larger share of their budget on food and energy. When those prices spiked, they cut other spending to survive. Food banks reported significantly more visitors in 2023 than before the pandemic. Rich households spent a much smaller share on the same necessities. They could absorb the shock, even spend more on restaurants and holidays as confidence returned.
Wage growth tells a cleaner story about who lost ground. Workers in logistics, retail, and care jobs saw below-inflation raises on average from 2022 to 2024. Technical staff, managers, and professionals in finance fared considerably better. Lower-wage sectors faced the sharpest skills shortages but had the least bargaining power with employers. One logistics driver in Hamburg told us his hourly rate barely moved in three years. His rent climbed substantially. He works more hours now than before the inflation spike.
Asset owners built wealth while wage earners treaded water. A modest stock or real estate portfolio saw significant gains between early 2022 and late 2024 for many households. For some, those gains exceeded what a supermarket cashier earns in a full year. Most poor households own no stocks and little property. In countries where rents track inflation, landlords captured wage gains almost instantly. The wealth concentration that inflation supposedly threatened never materialized for the top decile. It tightened for everyone else.
Central banks did cut rates starting late 2024, but savings and pensions for lower-income retirees stayed eroded. A person living on a modest fixed pension lost real buying power that wage indexing never recovered. Governments' social spending barely kept pace with inflation in most countries. The poor adapted by buying less and saving nothing. That habit stays even as prices stabilize. Trust, once broken, does not mend fast.
Published May 15, 2026 · Frisian News · Ljouwert, Fryslân