Social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher is concerned about the way the Dutch labour market has become so flexible, that some people will take on temporary jobs  for ‘a long time, against their will’. 

This could lead to them being ‘unable to get a mortgage or take part in training,’ Asscher is quoted as saying by the Financieele Dagblad.

The minister was commenting on Monday’s research by the TNO and staffing agency association ABU which suggests one in three workers will not have a permanent job by 2020. In 2007, the figure was one in five.

This has awakened fears that there will be a divide between people on permanent jobs with good pensions and those on temporary contracts with few secondary benefits, the FD says.

Asscher is keen to ensure employers hand out more permanent contracts. ‘Work should not be seen as a disposable item. We do not want cheap jobs here like China,’ the FD quotes him as saying. ‘No one wants a race to the bottom in terms of working conditions, even employers.’