The caretaker government has watered down legislation aimed at reducing discrimination in the jobs market to ensure it is accepted in the senate.

The legislation would have applied to all companies with at least 25 employees but social affairs ministry Karien van Gennip has now increased the limit to 50 to boost the bill’s chances in the upper house of parliament.

The bill requires employers and recruitment agencies that fall under the legislation to set down how they work to prevent discrimination when considering job applications and treat every applicant objectively.

In practice this means neutral language in job adverts and a similar line of questioning for each candidate. This is to ensure they are assessed on their competencies, rather than a subjective “click” which may be based on prejudice and stereotypes.

The labour inspectorate will monitor compliance.

Several groups in the senate, including the VVD and ChristenUnie from the current coalition, were concerned about red tape and additional bureaucracy for small firms. It is still unclear if the VVD will support the revised plan.

The new legislation will apply to just 4% of Dutch employers but will cover almost 70% of jobs. If passed in Tuesday’s vote, there will be a transition period until July 2027.