Disability care faces crisis as freelancers avoid full-time work
The acute staff shortage in disability care has worsened since stricter controls on the use of self-employed workers (zzp’ers) were implemented this year. The Dutch Association of Disability Care (VGN) reports that some departments are even facing the threat of admission stops, with problems particularly severe in highly complex disability care.
RTL reported that crisis care is the first department to close if staffing levels are too low. An admission stop there means that home-dwelling (seriously) disabled people who are struggling cannot access crisis care. "This creates very distressing situations," said Theo van Uum of the trade association.
Last month, 14 organizations in disability care sounded the alarm about staff shortages. The number of open vacancies has risen sharply in recent years, reaching 9,350 in the second quarter of 2025—the highest since Statistics Netherlands (CBS) began tracking these figures in 2018.
VGN warns that the shortage is likely to worsen. "There is a structural staff shortage in disability care. We expect this to rise to 33,400 by 2033," the association said. Causes include an aging population, rising demand for care, and fewer people entering disability care training programs.
The new restrictions on deploying self-employed workers, due to the DBA law enforced this year, have further strained staffing. Many freelancers prefer to remain self-employed rather than take full-time positions because they want flexibility in their schedules and choice of workplace.
The Hartekamp Group supports the DBA law and is reportedly making every effort to replace self-employed workers who can no longer be deployed, though only a small fraction have opted for permanent positions.
