In 2003 some 1.7 million people worked via flexible contracts or were freelancers, but this has now risen to 3.1 million, according to new research by national statistics agency CBS and the TNO research institute. In 2003, 75% of people in work had a permanent contract but that has since gone down to 60%. In the construction sector, for example, fewer than 50% of workers have a permanent job. The rise of short term contracts, call-out contracts and self-employment is undermining the Dutch social security system because fewer people are contributing pension and benefit premiums, labour market researchers told the Telegraaf. 'Self-employment has tax advantages which employees don't get and flexible working practices are undermining the social security system, ' sociologist Fabian Dekker said. And while many freelancers and flexworkers want the autonomy, not everyone does, and employers are keen to force people into flexible contracts, Dekker is quoted as saying. Construction In 2003, 75% of people in work had a permanent contract but that has since gone down to 60%. In the construction sector, for example, fewer than 50% of workers have a permanent job. People working in the hospitality industry are most likely to have a call-out or zero hour contract even though the hospitality industry is also suffering from a major shortage of workers, with nearly 31,000 unfilled vacancies. At the same time, new CBS figures show that there are now 100 unemployed people for every 80 job vacancies, a sign of increasing tension in the jobs market. Trade, business services and healthcare top the list of sectors with the biggest shortages. The Dutch unemployment rate has now fallen back to 3.6%, its lowest level since just prior to the economic crisis of 2008. More >
Bill for jobless politicians' tops €24m
Former MPs and ministers claimed over €24m in the special unemployment benefit for politicians between September 2012 and the end of last year, the Telegraaf said on Monday. In total, 186 former MPs, 18 former ministers and 15 former junior ministers have claimed the benefit, known as wachtgeld, since the 2012 general election, the paper said. The figures come from the home affairs ministry and no names are given. The best 'paid' MP has had payments totalling €468,219 during the period while one former junior minister has claimed €482,861 in benefits. MPs and ministers who lose their seat or their job are entitled to 80% of their salary for one year. Subsequent payments which can last several years are made at 70% rate. Former politicians who get a job which does not pay as much as being an MP can also claim top-up benefits.
Growing waiting lists in childcare: NOS
Daycare organisations and interest groups have warned of a ‘crisis’ in childcare with a shortage of workers and increasing waiting lists, reports the NOS. From January this year the rules have changed to require one qualified childcare worker per three infants under the age of one – a reduction from the previous level of 1:4. But, reports the NOS, waiting lists have increased again from six months on average to one year, and childcare organisations report 4620 job vacancies, it says. Parents’ organisation Boink told the NOS that there was a ‘crisis’ even before new quality of care regulations were enforced this year. Chairman Gjalt Jellsema said the sector suffers from ‘yoyo-ing’ because it is so closely impacted by the economy – particularly the financial crisis of 2012 to 2014 when 25,000 employees left for other professions. ‘For a few years, people did not choose the [childcare] qualification because it was a job without opportunities,’ he reportedly said. Muriëlle Springer, director of the Kinderrijk childcare chain, said recruiting is a problem, and added that a wait for childcare is also concerning if parents cannot get out of the home. ‘From an emancipation point of view, it’s a worry,’ she reportedly said.
Burnout, work-related stress is rising
Burnout is an increasing problem among the working population and work-related illness is costing society some €9bn a year, according to a new report by the TNO research institute. 'Employees have an increasing number of tasks but less say and this is translating into a rise in burnout complaints,' the organisation said on Thursday. 'But despite having worse working conditions, call-out and temporary staff have considerably less burnout problems than workers on permanent contracts or who are employed via staffing agencies.' Approximately one in four sick days is due to psychiatric problems, stress and burnout the institute said. The figures relate to 2017, when the absentee rate was around 4%, in line with the 10 year average. In total, just over 16% of the 8.5 million people in work - both as employees and self-employed - experienced burnout related complaints in 2017, compared with 11% in 2007.
No increase in 'probation' for new staff
Plans by social affairs minister Wouter Koolmees to increase the probation period for new employees from two to five months in an effort to encourage employers to offer workers a permanent contract will not gain a majority in parliament, the AD reports. Unions and other labour market experts had been quick to condemn the plan because of the potential for abuse. They fear employers could look on the scheme as a new form of temporary contract and dismiss a worker at the end of the five months. All four government parties - VVD, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie - also think the risks of abuse are too great, and will tell Koolmees to ditch the plan during a debate on Thursday, the AD said. The measure is part of a package aimed at reducing the legal gap between working as an employee or as a temporary worker. To this end, the rules for sacking staff have been relaxed while the period temporary staff can work on short contracts will be extended from two to three years. Companies will also get a discount on unemployment benefit premiums if they take on permanent rather than temporary members of staff. Some 5.3 million people in the Netherlands now have a permanent job, or around 60% of the total workforce, according to CBS figures at the end of last year. Two million people have a flexible contact and 830,000 people are classed as self-employed. The situation has changed significantly over the past 15 years. In 2003 nearly 75% of workers had permanent contracts.
Amsterdam to tackle jobs discrimination
Amsterdam plans to tackle discrimination on the jobs market by using what city officials call 'mystery guests' to identify companies using unfair practices to recruit staff. 'Discrimination is the order of the day on the Amsterdam jobs market,' said employment alderman Rutger Groot Wassink. 'The chance of getting a job or internship in our city is not the same for everyone.' Based on national figures which show 15% of workers think they have faced discrimination because of their age, sex or race, some 8,000 city workers have been in this situation, Groot Wassink said. 'Amsterdam is a diverse city and no single group is dominant. And that means we have to share power,' he said. The project will start by looking at the city's own staff and focusing on companies in which it has a shareholding, such as Schiphol airport, the port authority and the public transport company GVB. The city already uses mystery guests to clamp down on discriminatory door policies at clubs and bars. Groot Wassink's plans will be discussed by city councillors on January 30. The plan also includes 'naming and shaming' companies which have discriminated against job seekers.
'Deliveroo riders are not self-employed'
Cyclists working for meal delivery company Deliveroo are not self-employed and should be paid according to the pay and conditions deal which covers the delivery sector, judges in Amsterdam said on Tuesday. Deliveroo decided last year to swap all its staff contracts for freelance ones, in which delivery workers are treated as self employed. This, the company said, gives them more freedom to decide when to work and enables them to keep more of their pay. However, judges ruled in two separate court cases on Tuesday that the job has not changed sufficiently to merit tearing up the formal contract and, in the second case, that the statutory delivery workers pay deal should apply to all delivery crew. They are currently paid per delivery rather than a hourly rate. Judges said in a different case last year that Deliveroo delivery workers can be considered freelancers but suggested that ‘When contracts such as those used by platforms like Deliveroo are considered to be undesirable, then parliament should take steps.’ The FNV, which brought the cases to court, welcomed the ruling and said it would have consequences for people working for other food delivery firms such as Uber Eats. 'It could be the end of the current earnings model,' union spokesman Willem Dijkhuizen said. Deliveroo said it would appeal against the decision.
Dutch work most in evening in EU: research
Almost three in 10 Dutch people sometimes work evenings and one in five work on Sundays, particularly in e-commerce, researchers at Belgium's Leuven university have found. The number of evening workers is much higher than the European average which is 13.7%, the researchers said. And the number of Dutch people working on a Sunday went up by 20% compared to 2006. Flexible shop opening hours and same day delivery of packages contribute to the flexible Dutch economy, the researchers say. ‘It’s partly to do with the rules and regulations. Belgium has very strict rules regarding working in the evenings and on Sundays, and in some instances it is simply not allowed. In the Netherlands the law is more flexible and e-commerce is taking advantage of this,’ Leuven researcher Sarah Vansteenkist told het Parool. The flexible working hours result mainly in low-skilled jobs in the service sector and distribution centres of webshops like Bol.com or Wehkamp, the paper said. According to labour market expert, Ton Wilthagen flexible laws regarding working hours has enabled economic growth. ‘But that doesn’t mean there are no rules at all. Unlimited night shifts are not allowed here either,’ he said. More women than men work weekends, the research showed. ‘Women work in care more often, which involves working at the weekend, and that will only increase with an ageing population. Teachers, who are predominantly women, prepare for the week at the weekend as well,’ the paper quotes Vansteenkist as saying. Wilthagen said that contrary to night work, working at the weekend and in the evening is not bad for health. ‘If you are happy to work those hours, and most people who do are, then there is no problem,’ he said.
Wages rose an average 2.1% last year
Pay deals agreed in sector-wide talks were up by an average of 2.1% last year, the highest increase since 2009, the national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday. That year the effect of the economic crisis still had to be fully felt and wages rose 2.8%. In 2017, wages rose 1.8%, the highest rise in six years. Unions, economists, prime minister Mark Rutte and the central bank chief have all called for wages to go up because of the improved economic conditions. Workers are also set to keep more of their income this year because of income tax cuts this year. In September, the biggest Dutch trade union federation FNV said it is targeting a pay rise of 5% in the coming round of pay and conditions talks, its biggest demand in 30 years.
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