Burnout-related absenteeism rises, straining tight Dutch labor market
Randstad, the international staffing company based in Diemen, is warning about a growing number of workers dropping out due to stress and burnout-related complaints, a trend it says is increasing sickness absence in an already tight Dutch labor market.
The company said the development is driven by high workload pressures and is affecting women and younger employees disproportionately, who more often report stress-related or burnout symptoms. “That is in itself a worrying trend,” labor market analyst Bart van Krimpen of Randstad said during a press briefing on Thursday, June 18, 2026.
The strain is being felt most acutely in sectors already facing severe labor shortages, including healthcare, education, and engineering, where Randstad says the labor market has tightened further. Young employees are also more likely to drop out and remain absent longer. “With burnout, you are often at home for as long as half a year,” the company noted in describing the pattern among younger workers. It also said that in healthcare, mental-health related absenteeism among young women regularly leads to staffing and scheduling disruptions.
Randstad reported that overall labor market tightness is roughly comparable to last summer, but absenteeism due to illness and occupational disability has continued to rise. Since 2022, the number of people out of work due to illness or disability has increased by 10%, while total employment grew by 4 percent over the same period. The company said this increase is driven not only by rising psychological absenteeism, but also by older workers who are more likely to fall into long-term disability after becoming ill, as well as the effects of long COVID.
The broader economic impact is significant, according to Randstad Netherlands CEO Jeroen Tiel. “It erodes the labor productivity that we so urgently need, and it also chokes sectors that are dealing with acute shortages. Work pressure and job satisfaction are also suffering,” he said.
Tiel said the problem requires urgent intervention, arguing that managers should focus more on early detection of psychological complaints among employees. “If we make things healthier and more attractive at the front end, we can prevent absenteeism,” he said.
Randstad also addressed proposed legislation that would give workers on flexible contracts greater job security, including a measure requiring temporary agency workers to receive the same employment conditions as permanent staff. The Dutch Senate still has to decide on the proposal. Tiel said he does not expect it to reduce demand for flexible workers. “The demand for temporary workers remains evident. Flexibility and adaptability in our labor market are and will remain necessary, including for our clients,” he said. He added that such rules would not solve the underlying structural problems in the labor market, namely labor shortages and stagnating productivity growth.
Separately, the debate over disability and social costs was highlighted in a related discussion referencing projections that the Netherlands is heading toward one million people on disability benefits. One comment cited in that context stated: “A high benefit does not motivate people to return to work quickly.”
In a further commentary cited alongside the discussion, journalist Martin Visser argued that the total costs of state pensions (AOW), unemployment benefits (WW), and disability insurance (WIA) have actually declined over the past 30 years, adding that concerns about a major financial problem are exaggerated.
