Housing shortage increasing staff shortages as job seekers can't find suitable homes

The housing shortage is starting to exacerbate staff shortages. A quarter of young workers will not apply for a job if they can’t find suitable housing near the employer, AD reports based on research by Viisi Hypotheken among over 1,000 Dutch people between 22 and 35 who don’t own a home.

The housing shortage among first-time buyers is now so high that 51 percent of respondents said a company home would make them switch jobs. People in their twenties, in particular, see value in a company-provided home. And the reverse also applies - vacancies in areas with few housing options won’t get many applications.

“The research shows that first-time buyers ask for creative solutions from employers and that a large proportion of them are even willing to switch jobs for this,” Hergen Dutrieux of Viisi Hypotheken told the newspaper.

A majority of first-time buyers want employers to take a much more active role in housing their employees. Employers can help staff with housing in several ways. Dutrieux suggested being more flexible in translating bonuses into fixed income so that the mortgage amount can increase, paying the purchasing agent, or helping to find suitable rental housing.

Over a third of young workers would like company housing. “The factory villages like the Philipsdorp in Eindhoven were created from the idea that everyone has the right to a healthy home, with a garden, and a short distance from work,” Dutrieux said. “That idea is still relevant a century after the first factory villages were completed and shows that, in addition to an attractive home, many first-time buyers are mainly looking for a nice place to live.”