Indeed: job vacancies on the rise in the Netherlands

The number of job vacancies in the Netherlands continues to increase steadily and has almost returned to the record level of November last year, reported the job board Indeed after a survey. Of all sectors in the Netherlands, the defense sector currently has the highest number of job openings in percentage terms.

In the defense sector, the number of vacancies is now 170 percentage points higher than it was in February 2020, when the coronavirus crisis had not yet broken out. "Whether the peak in vacancies is now behind us remains to be seen. The armed forces have been downsizing for years, and given the current geopolitical tensions, I don't expect the number of vacancies to drop much in the short term," said Stan Snijders, manager at Indeed Benelux.

Indeed had previously indicated that this was likely a direct result of the war in Ukraine. The Ministry of Defense is now looking for employees in various fields, such as soldiers, aircraft mechanics, pilots, drivers, sailors, cooks, and nurses.

Overall, the number of vacancies is 14 percentage points higher than at the end of January last year. Compared to just before the pandemic, this is an increase of more than half. "Since June 2020, the number of vacancies in the Netherlands has been steadily increasing after a strong corona dip (an economic contraction due to the coronavirus). Towards November 2021, the explosive growth has calmed down somewhat, but the number of vacancies is still rising," according to the organization.

Indeed sees a "notable increase" in positions in human resources management. This may have to do with problems that have arisen at companies due to the tightness in the job market. As a result, the vacancy level for positions within this sector has more than doubled compared to February 2020.