Two in five freelancers say they will be able to last for a year without any income because they have built up sufficient reserves or their partner has an income, according to new research by national statistics agency CBS and the TNO research institute.

The research, using statistics from 2019, gives an indication as to the impact of coronavirus on the self-employed, which has led to work for many drying up.

But people working in the hospitality industry, taxi drivers, sports instructors, hair dressers and visual artists have few reserves and are most likely to be in financial trouble quickly, the research shows.

In total, one in five self-employed say they can survive for less than three months and 16% have no idea how long they can manage without a source of income.

Benefits

The Netherlands has some one million self-employed. Since last month they have been able to claim up to €1,050 a month for a single person and €1,500 for a couple and 240,000 people have already applied for help.

The research is carried out every two years and involved 1,000 freelancers.

Meanwhile, some 10,000 new claims were made for unemployment benefit in March, taking the total to 250,000, according to new figures from the state-run benefits office UWV.

The biggest increase in claims came from people working in the hospitality industry, the cultural sector and via staffing agencies.