Two-thirds of Dutch businesses continue to struggle to find staff, particularly in the building sector, latest figures from statistics agency CBS have shown.

Some 80% of building companies have vacancies, according to the survey, which was carried out by the CBS and the building sector organisation Instituut voor de Bouw, as well as the chamber of commerce KvK and employers’ organisations.

To solve the problems, companies are looking to hire staff from abroad and finding ways to automate some processes.

The building sector is also trying to attract staff by improving working conditions, the CBS found, while 32% of building companies are limiting production to match capacity.

The building sector, retail sector, and industry are at the forefront of using technology and automation to counter staff shortages. The car industry is focusing on training for staff to up productivity, the survey found.

Small and medium-sized companies are not as badly hit as big companies, which have an average staff shortage of 72%.