Stricter enforcement of self-employment hasn't led to any shifts in the labor market yet

The employment agency Randstad are not seeing any significant shifts in the labor market since January 1, when the Dutch Tax Authority began fully enforcing the rules against false self-employment. CEO for Randstad’s Dutch branch Jeroen Tiel expects the number of self-employed people to drop with this system, but the temporary employment agency are not seeing any signs of self-employed people quitting on mass.

Some sectors, like child daycare, are seeing a complete disassociation with self-employed people, Tiel explained during a press conference after the quarterly figures were announced.

This is not the case in other sectors where it is not happening at all, or employers are still waiting to act on the situation. Companies and organizations may receive a subsequent assessment if they employ self-employed people for work that should actually be done as contracted employees. No fines will be issued for any offenses this year.

The impact of the stricter enforcement is becoming more noticeable, Randstad sees based on the number of starting and quitting self-employed people. The number of people signing up as self-employed is staying at a reasonably stable level, while a continuous rise was apparent before this.

Randstad emphasized that there are still a lot of uncertainties about the enforcement. “It is crucial for those involved that there is clarity," Tiel said. Otherwise, there is a "kind of no man's land," and that does not work out positively for anyone, he said.

Randstad also reported on Wednesday that the tightness of the Dutch labor market has been reduced slightly. This is because unemployment has risen, and there are fewer open vacancies, Randstad labor market analyst Bart van Krimpen explained. Despite this decrease, there are still professions that are struggling with staff.

The shortage is concentrated in professions that are crucial for major social challenges, such as the energy transition and the ageing population and care, according to Randstad.

Van Krimpen warned that it is questionable whether all these challenges will succeed simultaneously in combination with the shortage. Defense is also added to this, Tiel also stated. As a result, many additional jobs are needed, which makes the challenge even greater and increases tension.