More freelancers getting more work hours says stats office

Freelancers are getting more work hours than they did two years ago. They more often keep working for their client and are also offered a permanent contract more often, according to figures Statistics Netherlands released on Tuesday, ANP reports. In the first quarter of this year 4 percent of freelancers were unemployed three months after taking a flexible contract, compared to 5 percent in the same quarter last year. The percentage of freelancers getting a permanent contract increased from 11 to 12 percent. Only one in five freelancers are working on a flexible contract because they choose to do so. The rest accept flexible employment because it is their only option, according to Statistics Netherlands. Companies are still using more and more freelancers - there are more new freelancers than there are freelancers who become unemployed or take a permanent contract. In the first quarter of this year over 1.7 people were working on a flexible contract, about a quarter of all employees.