Dutch employers becoming less critical during hiring process

Due to the shortages in the Dutch labor market, employers are becoming less critical during the hiring process and more likely to adjust terms of employment and job requirements. The benefits agency UWV came to this conclusion after surveying over 4,500 employers, NOS reports.

Last year, over half of the vacancies in the Netherlands were difficult to fill. When this happened, 39 percent of employers adjusted the terms of employment, compared to 30 percent in 2021. That involves things like salary, flexible hours, and working from home. Last year, 32 percent of employers adjusted job requirements, like the required experience or training, compared to 26 percent in 2021.

Staff shortages were particularly visible in the construction sector last year, with 73 percent of the sector’s vacancies being difficult to fill. “A lot of staff is needed to make buildings more sustainable and renew the energy system,” Katnika van Brakel of the UWV said to NOS. “Then you have to think of mechanics, carpenters, painters. But industry and wholesalers also have these problems. Provinces, Ministries, and the Tax Authority have less to worry about.”

The Dutch labor market has been tight for years, but that tightness reached record levels towards the end of the coronavirus crisis. It decreased again slightly at the end of 2022, but there are still more vacancies than unemployed, according to Statistics Netherlands. Unemployment is expected to rise slightly this year but will remain low.