Staff shortages now affect all sectors of Dutch labor market

The tightness in the labor market has become so great that there are now staff shortages in all professions. Halfway through this year, the labor market was twice as tight as a year earlier, benefits agency UWV reported.

“The shortage in the labor market is increasingly having negative consequences for the economy, and more and more people in the Netherlands are being confronted with it,” the UWV said. The agency investigated the shortage in the labor market for 92 different professional groups.

At the beginning of this year, there was no shortage of tour guides, painters, metal painters, construction workers, and drivers. But by June, the UWV also listed these professions as tight. The UWV calculates shortages based on the number of unfilled vacancies and the number of people who have received unemployment benefits for less than six months.

The most significant shortage is currently among engineers, electricians, machine mechanics, nurses, and software developers.

The UWV also noted that the number of vacancies in the second quarter increased by 44 percent compared to a year earlier. The number of people on unemployment benefits who had recently worked decreased by 31 percent in the same period. “Many more vacancies and much fewer people who can fill them,” the organization said.

Due to the shortage of personnel, some companies have been forced to close their doors, trains have been canceled, and there are longer waiting times at Schiphol and in the catering industry.

The UWV said that retaining existing staff becomes increasingly crucial as the supply of available candidates dries up. “This can be done, for example, by offering sufficient development and challenge, but also attention to vitality, working conditions, working hours, and work pressure are essential to bind and captivate employees.”