There is a rapidly increasing shortage in construction staff in the Netherlands, according to benefits agency UWV. There is a major need for carpenters, masons and installation engineers, as well as many vacancies for preparatory construction staff like jop preparers, ANP reports.
By next year the UWV expects an increase of 30 thousand jobs for construction workers. An increase of another 4 thousand jobs is also expected for freelancers.
Too strict and unnecessary mortgage rules make it needlessly difficult for many Dutch to buy a home, according to Maxime Verhangen. The former Foreign Affairs Minister and current president of Construction Netherlands is calling for the rules to be relaxed
The VAT charge on building sites must be lowered from 21 to 6 percent to make new homes cheaper, which could benefit not only consumers but also the suffering construction industry, according to leader of the industry organization Bouwend Nederland Maxime Verhagen.
