DutchNews.nl - Shortage of plumbers and carpenters looms

The Netherlands is facing a serious shortfall of skilled craftsmen, from plumbers and carpenters to piano tuners, says the Dutch board for craft trades in a new report.

In particular, people living outside the big cities will find it increasingly difficult to get hold of craftsmen because fewer youngsters are taking up manual professions, the report says.

Within the next nine years, 226,000 craftsmen are set to retire and action is needed to make sure young people are attracted to the sector.

'The crisis is camouflaging the underlying problems, board chairman Elrie Bakker said. Jobs are disappearing but it will soon be difficult to fill vacancies, she says.

Between now and 2021, 250,000 people will have to take up a trade to ensure the quality of life in the Netherlands is not affected.

Have you found it hard to find a plumber or a cobbler? Use the comments box below to share your experiences.

Readers' Comments

Instead of studying socialogy until 26 before working in Mcdonalds, maybe these students could be offered an apprenticeship at 18 or 21 to learn these trades. The skills dont appear by magic.

By Simon Knores | 29 June 2012 3:10 PM

Well, I worked as an interior designer and bespoke furniture maker. The onset of the crisis did nothing to improve the number clients I had. Work got thin.

I applied for a BBZ (an outright disaster for anyone!) and was told that I had "onvoldoend bedrijfsvaardigheden" - sure, I don't have any paper qualifications, but then, neither did my clients who gave me roaring reviews (http://gemmas-interieurs.nl/referenties.html).

I was not happy to close.

I will add that the general standard of work here in NL is very poor. Not because they can't but more that they simply can't be bothered. There are a rare few who do, but boy, are they the exception!

I could go on ...

By Gemma | 29 June 2012 3:51 PM

The other side of the problem is that employers want 20 yr olds.
I'm a carpenter & at 54 no-one wants to give me a job!

By Donaugh | 29 June 2012 4:45 PM

The market will sort this out as people will flood in once they realise they can make a lot of money.

By Phil | 30 June 2012 12:44 PM

@ Donaugh: you are 54, I am 57. The ripe age of people looking for employment is almost on a par with the sell-by-date of a can of processed peas at AH. Don't feel bad about the situation. It's who you know, not what you know, go to the cafes, that's where I found most of my employment, not the official channels. (We all need friends, not bureaucracy.)Hope that helps..

By The visitor | 30 June 2012 7:52 PM

@ Gemma: nobody these days became successful in business by being good & honest. I suggest you lie, cheat & steal to achieve your goals, just don't get caught!

By The visitor | 30 June 2012 7:57 PM

Oops, time to bring in another bunch of foreigners to do the dirty work and then hate them and try to legislate against them in a few years...

By Bill | 1 July 2012 10:57 AM

This country is yet again confusing me... was it not De Jager (not a member of little irrelevant extremist party on the fringe of society) who said just some months ago that "we do not want to attracht Wok koks and pipe fitters" - the latter being a denigratory way to say plumbers (obviously from Eastern Europe) (and the former a denigratory way to say asian cooks)...? So now, just what do you want Holland?

By the_expat | 1 July 2012 9:08 PM

I know a bunch of very good eastern Europeans, extremely cheap too .... Ah, I forgot ... you don't want them here ...

By Ada | 2 July 2012 6:57 AM

Really this is what you get when you make manual professions and work more and more of a stigma for young people, and try to push them all into going for a degree.

Manual work should be shown as something proud and skilled again, rather than something only people too dumb to get a degree can do. Because it seriously takes way more skill to do a lot of professional manual jobs than to get a Media Studies degree or some equivalent claptrap.

By bobbianderson | 2 July 2012 7:41 AM

I agree that manual work should be respected again. But ALL work -- if ethical -- should be respected.

Somewhat tired of people pitting one degree against another or one career choice against another.

I'm also old enough to know first-hand that today's "in demand" worker could be tomorrow's redundancy. If only we could predict what careers would be valued and useful 40 years into the future...

By CW | 2 July 2012 8:44 AM

@Phil: we both have obligatory bank accounts that invest partly in weapons, (ABN-AMRO) that make millions by supporting countries like USA & others to control other countries by lying & scaremongering in order to get support to ravage & kill, to benefit, grab resources such as oil, cause an influx of refugees, to come here & other Western countries, desperate for a chance in life & work as plumbers & carpenters. Please do some more research on history, cheers!

By The visitor | 2 July 2012 10:15 PM

I'm an English ex. pat who started working here as a carpenter in 1995. I've worked for many companies over the years, and seen the gradual lessening of vacancies over time. Even the bureus couldn't find anything for me, despite all my experience. Then I decided to start my own company (www.pmkbouw.nl) last April, and via friends I've managed to earn a living since then. I can only hope that I can weather this economic storm until the need for the work of skilled carpenters is once again in demand. I would be happy to teach some of the younger generation some of the skills which I enjoy to practice.

By Paul Kelly | 2 July 2012 11:37 PM