The Dutch labour market cooled in the second quarter of 2026. Open vacancies fell by 3,000 to 375,000, while total jobs fell by 8,000. Unemployment also declined, leaving 95 vacancies for every 100 unemployed people. The market is less overheated than in 2022, yet suitable staff remain scarce in many roles.
Why this matters
Fewer vacancies do not make every role easier to fill. Skills, location, hours and sector experience still shape the candidate pool. A permanent employee brings salary, holiday pay, payroll, pension costs where applicable, onboarding and management time. Those costs continue in quieter months. Keeping a critical role open costs money too. Orders can slip, invoices can wait and staff may work overtime. Compare the cost of hiring with the cost of waiting.
Example
An owner has covered an empty operations role for three months. Customer calls interrupt other work, while quotes and invoices wait. The order book has become less certain. First, the owner totals delayed or lost revenue. Then they test whether recurring, properly priced work covers full employment costs through a weaker quarter. The answer may be a new employee. It may be extra hours for existing staff or a specialist for one defined project. The workload must be recurring and profitable.
XTROVERSO tips
- Record the cost of the vacancy. List delayed orders, missed sales, overtime, agency fees and owner time. Use invoices, timesheets and customer records where possible.
- Test the full payroll cost. Include salary, holiday pay, pension, payroll administration, sickness exposure and onboarding. Compare the total with available cash and expected margin.
- Look inside the current team. Ask part-time staff whether they want more hours or training. Record which shifts and tasks they can take on before opening a vacancy.
- Check the specific labour market. Review the role, region, required hours and skills. A national unemployment figure says little about one technician, care worker or supervisor.
- Match the contract to the work. A zzp contract must match the actual assignment. Review supervision, working patterns, independence and day-to-day conduct before work starts.
- Check the underlying problem. Confirm that the vacancy is not caused by weak planning, slow invoicing, poor pricing or too many low-margin customers.
Let’s review the cash, workload and contract behind your next hiring decision
The data, sourcing, and analysis behind this article were conducted by Linda Pavan. AI was not used to identify sources, build the factual basis, or produce the analytical judgment contained here. AI was used only as a drafting aid. The final English text was personally reviewed, edited, and approved by Linda Pavan before publication.
References
- Werkloosheid gedaald in tweede kwartaal 2026 | CBS
- UWV - Spanningsindicator arbeidsmarkt koelt verder af
- CBS - Conjunctuurenquête Nederland, tweede kwartaal 2026
- Rijksoverheid - Duidelijkheid voor zzp’ers en opdrachtgevers
- Belastingdienst - Handhaving arbeidsrelaties
- Rijksoverheid - Veelgestelde vragen over schijnzelfstandigheid
