On the hunt for a job? You’re in luck. All professions in the Netherlands have a shortage of personnel — leaving folks with a plethora of vacancies to apply to.
The Netherlands is currently undergoing a tight labour market, with unfilled vacancies nearly doubling in a single year.
This has affected the Dutch economy significantly — and woners (residents) are left to deal with the consequences.
Technical jobs are high in demand
At the beginning of the year, there were still a good amount of employees in certain sectors, like travel guides, painters, construction workers, and drivers.
Now, 75% of all professions are understaffed, and the number of filled positions decreased twice as much as the year before. Because of this, the UWV (Employee Insurance Agency) labelled the Dutch labour market as tight.
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Of course, the chaos at Schiphol Aiport and the tedious NS train strikes bear witness to the tough Dutch labour market — but facilities, like healthcare and education, are also under pressure.
Jobs in the technical sector, such as engineers, electricians, technicians, nurses, and software developers, are especially high in demand as well.
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“For a long time, the economy has determined the labour market. Now that the shortage in the labour market has taken on such extreme forms, that relationship seems to have been partially reversed,” labour market adviser at the UWV, Frank Verduijn, tells the NOS.
Companies must improve working conditions
“As the supply of available candidates dries up, retaining and developing existing staff becomes more important”, Verduijn tells the NOS.
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If the NS strikes taught us anything, it’s that companies in the Netherlands need to up their wages, and provide workers with better working conditions to attract new candidates.
What are your thoughts on the current Dutch labour market? Tell us in the comments below!
