Dutch employees changed jobs less often in 2025 than in 2022. Quarterly exits from a main job fell from 677,000 to 618,000. Fewer people left for a new job or business. Economic reasons and labour conflict made up a larger share of job endings.
Why this matters
With fewer voluntary departures, an employer has less room to adjust staffing through normal turnover. A role with less work may remain on payroll longer. Cutting it can shift costs to overtime, agency invoices, late billing or the owner’s evenings. Keeping it also uses cash needed for tax, pension payments and suppliers. The cash forecast and employment file need to support the same decision.
Example
A planner costs €4,000 a month after orders fall. Colleagues take over scheduling when the role is removed. Billable staff lose hours, invoices are sent late, and the owner handles customer changes at night. During busy weeks, an agency planner is hired. The salary saving is smaller than expected. Compare it with workload, agency cost, billing delays and the employee’s customer knowledge.
XTROVERSO tips
- Build a 13-week cash view. List expected customer receipts, payroll, tax, pension costs, holiday accrual and major supplier invoices. Use realistic payment dates rather than invoice dates.
- Map the work before changing the role. Record which work has ended, which work has paused and what customers still expect. Decide where each task will go if the role disappears.
- Count displaced costs. Estimate overtime, agency staff, recruitment, delayed invoices and management hours. Put these amounts beside the expected payroll saving.
- Check the employment file. Bring together the contract, job description, performance records, workload evidence and earlier discussions. Financial records and employment records should support the same decision.
- Confirm the correct process early. Economic dismissal needs evidence, correct selection and a redeployment review. Check the applicable collective agreement and seek advice before telling the employee a decision is final.
- Review flexible work arrangements. Temporary staff, agency workers and contractors are not a risk-free shortcut. Check whether the contract matches the working relationship and upcoming flex-work rules.
Need to test a staffing decision against your cash forecast, employment file and daily workload?
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
- Vaker ontslag om bedrijfseconomische redenen, minder vaak vanwege nieuwe baan | CBS
- CBS - Latest unemployment and employment position
- CBS - Vacancies and remaining labour-market tightness
- CBS - Employer confidence and economic uncertainty
- CBS - Business failures as a narrow part of the employment signal
- UWV - Economic dismissal route and evidence burden
- Rijksoverheid - Flex-work reform and the changing buffer around permanent staff
- Belastingdienst - False self-employment enforcement
