Holiday workers offer employers relief in the tight labor market, says Indeed

Employers have recruited more holiday workers this year than in previous years, and they also started recruiting earlier, said job website Indeed based on an analysis of Dutch vacancies. Companies are trying to respond to the tight labor market by deploying these temporary workers, the website concluded.

The number of vacancies for seasonal work more than doubled in March compared to the same month a year earlier. The self-proclaimed largest job site in the Netherlands, Indeed estimated that this may be due to fear among employers of a busy summer.

Indeed noticed differences between sectors that have been looking for holiday workers. Many extra workers are needed in the hospitality and cleaning sectors, the company determined. Compared to last year, the number of vacancies for holiday employees in the hospitality industry tripled. On the other hand, the annual number of healthcare vacancies decreased on an annual basis. This may be because coronavirus is now putting less pressure on the healthcare sector than in previous years, Indeed said.

The job site also investigated which holiday jobs are the most popular. It turns out that packaging positions came in first place.

Despite the increase in holiday workers, and earlier recruitment drives, employers are still having trouble filling positions. The national data office Statistics Netherlands previously said that the number of vacancies has more than doubled in two years. There are now 143 vacancies for every 100 unemployed workers, compared to 133 vacancies per 100 unemployed at the beginning of this year.