Over half of larger SME's are struggling with staff shortages

More than half of Dutch small and mid-sized enterprises (SME) with at least ten employees are suffering from a staff shortage, the Chamber of Commerce (KVK) said after conducting research on the subject. A quarter of the companies surveyed expect the staff shortages to cause major problems.

The KVK interviewed the leadership of almost 1,400 businesses, of which 685 were SMEs. “Staff member leaves, so you have to deal with everything yourself,” said one entrepreneur. “Staff shortage hinders recovery after corona,” said another.

In addition, most entrepreneurs surveyed are looking for new employees, according to the study. However, more than 90 percent of the SMEs with ten or more employees are having trouble finding new people.

This includes businesses which are not otherwise suffering from a staff shortage in their business.

KVK entrepreneurship advisor Gé Gijsen said he sees the lack of available staffing as an issue in all kinds of sectors. “It mainly concerns people who can work with their hands. Mechanics, plumbers, people in refrigeration installation technology, central heating installers, those professions. But also in healthcare of course, hands-on at the bedside, and also everything else which is related to automation, and which is connected to IT,” he surmised.

He also mentioned the hospitality industry and distribution centers as places with major staff shortages.

According to the study, smaller organizations are less likely to suffer from staff shortages. Of the SMEs with two to nine employees, more than a quarter indicate that a shortage has had an impact on their company.