Defense becomes Netherlands’ largest employer, outpacing police

Defense has become by far the largest employer in the Netherlands, overtaking the police after rapid expansion driven by geopolitical tensions following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, according to new research by de Volkskrant. At the same time, the civil service has grown sharply, and chipmaker ASML has emerged as the fastest-growing private employer.

Defense employed 74,333 full-time equivalent positions at the end of last year, nearly 20 percent more than five years earlier. In the previous de Volkskrant survey, defense and the police were roughly equal at about 62,000 full-time jobs each. Police staffing has since risen by 5.5 percent to 64,618.

“The armed forces face the task of strengthening themselves at high speed,” a Defense Ministry spokesperson said. “It is therefore positive to see that there is a lot of interest in a job with defense.”

Ahold Delhaize ranks third overall and is the largest private employer, with about 97,000 workers in the Netherlands, equivalent to roughly 38,000 full-time jobs. That is 6,000 more than five years ago. The Ministry of Justice and Security follows with nearly 37,000 full-time positions, while Rabobank has about 31,000, a decline of roughly a quarter over five years.

Employment at ING and ABN Amro remained stable recently due to hiring for anti-money-laundering controls, but cuts are coming. ABN Amro has announced 5,200 job losses, nearly a quarter of its workforce. Pension administrator APG will cut 1,000 jobs, partly because artificial intelligence is taking over tasks in the financial sector.

The civil service expanded strongly, with central government employment rising from more than 125,000 full-time jobs in 2020 to over 157,000 last year. The Tax and Customs Administration employs more than 28,000 full-time workers, UWV nearly 20,000, and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management more than 16,000.

Industry employment continued to shrink at companies such as VDL and Philips, both below 9,000 full-time jobs, and at Tata Steel, which dropped below 10,000. Retail and services remain labor-intensive. A.S. Watson employs more than 16,000 full-time equivalents, while Total Care of CSU in Uden has more than 22,000.

ASML stands out as the fastest-growing employer, with more than 21,000 full-time jobs in the Netherlands, up more than 76 percent in five years. Action followed with 13,401 full-time positions, up more than a third.