A further 27,000 health care jobs will be lost over the next two years, the state job centre UWV said in a report published on Tuesday.

The new job losses come on top of the 22,000 workers who were made redundant over the past three years and will mainly affect nursing and care workers, the UWV said.

From 2017, the organisation expects a ‘very gradual’ increase in staff, particularly in home care because of the greying population.

It is also forecasting that fewer less well educated workers will be needed who lend a helping hand in such tasks as pulling on support stockings, brushing teeth and shopping.  ‘These things are more often done by family and friends,’ the UWV’s Freek Kalkhoven told the Telegraaf.

‘In addition, health care is becoming more complex and health providers are increasingly expecting workers to take on a management role,’ he said.

The health care sector is the largest employer in the Netherlands with 1.1 million workers. That is 15% of the total number of jobs in the country.