Dutch companies accelerate layoffs: Thousands of jobs at risk
Companies across the Netherlands are stepping up layoffs as rising costs, economic uncertainty, falling revenues, and more use of AI push firms to reduce staff. Employers warn that job cuts are expected to continue for months.
A spokesperson for the employers’ association AWVN told NU.nl, “We’re in the middle of a round of reorganization that began two years ago. We hear the concerns from our members and are not optimistic. It is far from over.”
The cuts span multiple sectors, including industry, chemicals, finance, business services, and education. Benefits agency UWV received 355 notifications of company reorganizations last year, the highest number in a decade.
Heineken plans to eliminate 5,000 to 6,000 positions over the next two years as part of its cost-cutting measures. The company has not yet specified which roles will be affected. “That will become clear in the coming months or years,” a spokesperson said.
Other major employers, including ING, ABN AMRO, ASN Bank, and chip manufacturer ASML, are also reorganizing, with thousands of employees expected to lose their jobs.
Olaf van Vliet, an economics professor at Leiden University, said that reducing costs remains the primary reason for the workforce cuts. “Companies reorganize for several reasons. Rising wages are only part of it. After the COVID-19 pandemic, the labor market was very tight, so companies delayed restructuring. Reorganizations can also involve changing processes or management structures,” he told NU.nl.
Van Vliet added that AI is not the main driver of the layoffs. “In the recent announcements, other factors are at play. At ASML, it concerns changes in management layers, while at Heineken, declining beer sales are a factor. Employees are not being replaced by AI.”
Labour market economist Ronald Dekker of TNO said that publicly traded companies often reorganize to meet shareholder expectations. “It starts with profit, returns, and dividend requirements. Economic uncertainty plays little role. If companies face higher costs or adopt AI, it can serve to show shareholders that the same work can be done with fewer staff,” he said.
