Temporary workers worked 8% less in 2024 than the previous year; third year of decline

Temporary workers in the Netherlands worked eight percent less in 2024 than a year before. The temporary workers organization ABU reported this on Tuesday. This makes it three years in a row that the number of hours worked in the temporary worker sector has decreased, but the reduction was less severe than in 2023.

The shrinkage could be seen in all the sectors. The most significant reduction came in the administrative sector. Temporary workers worked 17 percent fewer hours than in 2023. The number of hours worked dropped by 3 and 11 percent in the industrial and technological sectors, respectively.

The last time that the number of hours worked by workers under a temporary contract was higher than the previous year was in 2021. This growth was mainly due to the recovery from the coronavirus pandemic year in 2020. The economy suffered severe damage due to the effect of the lockdowns, and many temporary workers were left without a job.

In addition, the total turnover of the sector declined in 2024. It declined by 1 percent compared to an annual basis. Only the industrial sector saw an increase in turnover of 3 percent.