Increased work pressure the biggest consequence of staff shortage, employers say

More work pressure on existing personnel is still the main consequence employers experience from the tight labor market. Over 71 percent of employers in the Netherlands experience staff shortages, and most still have difficulty finding staff, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported based on a survey conducted with the Chamber of Commerce and employers’ organizations EIB, MKB-Nederland, and VNO-NCW.

Increased work pressure came out as the main consequence of the widespread staff shortages, with 29 percent of entrepreneurs listing it as number one. However, fewer entrepreneurs were worried about this in almost all sectors. Only in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries have concerns about increased work pressure increased slightly. Entrepreneurs in retail most often cited the higher workload as the main consequence of staff shortages (43 percent).

Entrepreneurs in the hospitality industry and information and communication consider increased labor costs as the biggest consequence of staff shortages. That concern also increased significantly in the sectors of mining, car trade and repair, and construction and industries.

At the start of the third quarter, over 71 percent of entrepreneurs struggled with staff shortages. That is slightly less than last year’s 75 percent and 2022’s 84 percent. In most sectors, there are fewer entrepreneurs with a staff shortage than a year ago. The decrease was biggest in hospitality (from 85 to 69 percent). Only the construction industry saw an increase.

Most entrepreneurs struggle to find staff to fill their vacancies, though the obstacles they encounter vary. Most (23 percent) indicated that the number of job seekers is limited, especially in construction (35 percent) and transport and storage (29 percent). Over 17 percent said they couldn’t find people with the right qualifications, especially in car trade and repair (30 percent) and industry (26 percent). And 12 percent said that potential employees have higher demands than they can or want to offer. This is particularly an issue for employers in mining (28 percent) and information and communication (22 percent).

The shortage in the Dutch labor market is still the biggest obstacle to business operations in the Netherlands, though the proportion of entrepreneurs who listed it in first place decreased in recent years. At the start of the third quarter of 2022, almost 48 percent of entrepreneurs put staff shortages at number one. This year, it was just over 35 percent.