Dutch unemployment fell to 393,000 people in June 2026, or 3.8% of the labour force. Paid employment also declined, while more people left the labour force. Suitable staff remain hard to find in key sectors.
Why this matters
The unemployment figure does not show how many dependable hours your business can put into customer work. Skills, location, shift times and pay still shape recruitment. At the end of the first quarter, there were 91 vacancies for every 100 unemployed people. Construction had the highest vacancy rate. Contractual labour costs rose 4.4% year on year. Any new hire must fit the workload, margin, payroll and cash forecast.
Example
A six-person contractor has one vacancy. The cooler market may bring more applications, yet the right worker may still be unavailable for its sites and hours. The owner checks whether contract prices cover wages, employer costs, training and absence. Customer payments must cover payroll during the first months. If they do not, another project puts further pressure on cash.
XTROVERSO tips
- Count usable hours. List hours for customer work, planning, supervision and administration. Include absence, training and unpaid owner time.
- Check the real vacancy. Separate essential skills from preferences. Record the location, hours and tasks the role must cover.
- Test the full labour cost. Add wages, holiday pay, employer charges, recruitment, training, absence cover and management time. Compare the total with the margin on the work.
- Put payroll beside incoming cash. Review the next 13 weeks of payroll and expected customer payments. A full order book can still leave too little cash for wages.
- Review contractor arrangements. Compare each zzp contract with daily practice. Check who sets hours, directs work, provides tools and carries commercial risk. Seek professional advice if the position is unclear.
Want to check whether your staffing plan fits your margin and cash forecast? We can review the numbers with you
The data, sourcing, and analysis behind this article were conducted by Paolo Maria 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 Paolo Maria Pavan before publication.
