The cabinet has set aside €320m to fund training programmes and recruitment campaigns in an effort to fill vacancies in the healthcare sector.

Last week, the state jobs agency UWV said the Dutch healthcare sector will have to fill 130,000 jobs this year and there are no candidates for a growing number of functions.

More than one million people currently work in care services, of whom 23% are over the age of 55 and approaching retirement age. Hospitals, home care groups and mental health services are grappling with the biggest shortages of staff.

Health ministers Hugo de Jonge and Bruno Bruins told MPs in a briefing on Wednesday that they hope to have brought staffing levels back up to 100% by 2022. The money will be allocated on a region by region basis.