Hairdressers increasingly self-employed in the Netherlands

Hairdressers in the Netherlands are increasingly choosing to work as self-employed entrepreneurs, while the number of registered hairdressing businesses has declined, according to an analysis of Chamber of Commerce (KVK) trade register data by the ANP news agency.

As of April 1, more than 27,000 hairdressers were registered as self-employed workers (zzp’ers) with the KVK, marking a 17 percent increase compared with five years earlier. At present, more than three-quarters of all registered hairdressers in the country work as zzp’ers.

At 8:24 a.m. today, the KVK data also showed the opposite trend for hairdressing businesses. The total number of companies in the sector — including SMEs, large companies, and part-time operations — fell by about 5 percent over the same five-year period. Slightly more than 7,700 hairdressing businesses are currently registered.

Industry representatives point to structural pressures behind the shift. Marga Patijn, chair of FNV Mooi, the trade union for workers in the personal care sector, said the trend is partly driven by difficulties balancing pay and working conditions in the profession.

“The last round of negotiations on wage increases was still difficult,” Patijn told De Telegraaf. “But we are currently in discussions with, among others, the industry association ANKO about employment conditions.”

Patijn also highlighted work-life balance as a key factor pushing hairdressers toward self-employment. “It is often difficult for hairdressers to combine work and private life,” she said. “Hairdressers are often young women, at an age where they may have children. If employers cannot offer their staff enough flexibility, it becomes more attractive to work independently.”

Despite the rise in self-employment, Patijn said she does not expect hairdressing businesses to disappear entirely. “Entrepreneurs who listen to their staff and are willing to adapt will always continue to exist,” she said. She added that while self-employment has advantages, working for an employer remains “a safer environment for the future.”