Category: News

Quarter of employers still looking for five-legged sheep

Despite the huge labor market shortages, a quarter of employers are still looking for the sheep with the five legs. Hiring someone who, for example, is recovering from a burnout, is disabled or has been unemployed for a long time is not an option in many cases.

People over 60 are the most likely to be employed, although 16 percent are not waiting for that either. This is according to research by Pro Contact, conducted among 300 Dutch entrepreneurs and senior managers in companies of various sizes and at least 10 FTEs.

Rather deal with business loss than personnel shortage

A quarter of those surveyed say they would rather lose business than offer a job to any of the above. This while there were as many as 450,000 job openings in April, according to CBS. One in three (35%) say they would only hire someone who does not meet their ideal image in extreme emergencies. In the survey, these include people with autism or a chronic condition, the physically disabled, ex-prisoners, people who have money problems or have been addicted, status holders and the long-term unemployed. People with fatigue syndrome have it tough all the way around: as many as 42 percent of those surveyed consider the chances of hiring him or her slim to none.

The survey also found that employers are still regularly filling in the opinions of their customers and staff. 19 percent expect customers to refuse to do business with someone who does not fit the company profile. Nearly four in 10 (37%) think his or her staff will not accept an ex-prisoner.

"Let's put first that fortunately a large part of entrepreneurs are indeed open to hiring a non-obvious person. But this movement is still far too slow and there is still a world to be won," responded Noud Baijens, founder and director of Pro Contact and initiator of the study. "It surprises me that there are apparently still companies that have such a rigid attitude when it comes to their hiring policies. If this attitude does not improve and people who do not fit within the 'perfect picture' are not taken seriously, we are going to see the extreme situations like at Schiphol Airport during the May vacations much more often. If you are looking for large groups of people, like Schiphol or the Port of Rotterdam where there are really thousands of vacancies, you will really have to look at your requirements. Only companies looking for just one or two people can still do it in the traditional way. After all, the group as described above is the only way out for many companies to reduce personnel shortages, in any sector."

Source: Pro Contact, press release May 20, 2022

Fighting labor exploitation is mopping the water up

 Fighting labor exploitation is sometimes "mopping the water off," says the Labor Inspectorate in its annual report. The inspectorate notes in the report how some companies and employment agencies intimidate, treat poorly and subject especially Eastern European migrant workers to strict regulations. "They even deploy thugs." So states the Labor Inspection in its annual report, released late last week.

Knock teams

A factor here is that the migrant workers' employer is often also their landlord. The members of the squabbling squads are often migrant workers themselves, who show up unexpectedly at the homes of "colleagues" to check on compliance with the strict rental rules. According to the inspection, migrant workers are then fined if they leave dirty dishes on the kitchen counter. The "coordinators" who check are given certain privileges, "such as a company car or a larger room.

Employment agencies

According to the inspection, it also happens that employment agencies bring more workers to the Netherlands than they actually need. Upon arrival, candidates are 'selected,' according to the Labor Inspectorate. 'Those who protest or want to see their contract first, they don't need, they are too articulate. And that means: no work, no housing and no pay.'

To do build up a "reservoir," some migrant workers have to wait in housing for work, for example, to step in when someone drops out. They are required to stay in the "waiting rooms," but are not paid.

Tackling rogue practices

The law can sometimes get in the way of tackling malpractice, the inspectorate points out. For example, a "whole series of conditions" must be met before something is actually considered labor exploitation and the Public Prosecution Service (OM) can take up the case. The Court of Audit was also previously critical of the applicable rules. Cases often fail through criminal law, and the fines that the inspectorate can impose are, according to the Court of Auditors, "so low that they hardly have a deterrent effect.

The House of Representatives and the cabinet recently backed a proposal to have the Labor Inspectorate stop work immediately when exploitation is suspected.

The Roemer Committee, led by former SP leader Emile Roemer, drafted a report with proposals on the position of labor migrants in 2020. Municipalities noted earlier this year that the government is waiting too long to introduce measures to improve the position of labor migrants, an NRC survey of the 20 municipalities with the highest percentage of labor migrants revealed.

The FNV says it recognizes the inspection's analyses of the abuses and has also been making this known to the inspection "for many years. "It is therefore of great importance that Roemer's recommendations are immediately implemented by the cabinet. We are now more than two years on and little has changed. The cabinet must make haste," said FNV board member Petra Bolster.

Source: ANP

Personnel policies often not on boards' visors

In as many as a quarter of all Dutch organizations, management does not determine HR policy. This is evident from research conducted by De Staffing Groep. Despite the increasingly tight labor market and the "war for talent," one-third of those surveyed say that HR receives less attention from management than sales and marketing.

Especially HR professionals under the age of 30 are critical of their employer's personnel policy. "People are a crucial success factor for organizations and that is precisely where the challenges lie today," states Wouter Waaijenberg, Director MSP of De Staffing Groep. "Although organizations without the right talent in the right place are less likely to achieve their commercial goals, we notice that many Dutch companies often take an ad hoc approach to their personnel policy. Young professionals know like no other how the war for talent works, so I can understand where their critical attitude comes from."

Insufficiently involved

The survey shows that the ad hoc approach to human resources management has far-reaching consequences for Dutch organizations. A quarter of the HR professionals surveyed say they have not contributed to their organization's strategic objectives in the past three years. This may be because the top management is not sufficiently involved in the development of that policy.

War for (flex) talent

Furthermore, the survey indicates that seven in 10 HR professionals see recruiting the right talent as their organization's biggest challenge over the next five years. It is possible that more focus on flex workers could offer a solution, as only half of the respondents say flexible workers occupy as important a place as permanent employees. Waaijenberg explains: "Besides finding the right talent, we find that keeping employees with the right skills is also a challenge for many organizations. This is where working with flex workers offers a solution."

Source: The Staffing Group, press release, March 24, 2022

These are the most in-demand occupations in 2022

Due to the enormous tightness in the labor market, there are more promising occupations than ever. Randstad Netherlands expects a "dynamic year" with increasing labor mobility but also an even greater labor market mismatch. This is evident from the 2022 list of most promising jobs, which the company compiles annually.

Labor mobility up

Whatever skills someone has, there is a good chance that they match one or more occupations. In addition, Randstad expects job mobility to increase significantly this year. Personnel shortages in various fields make 2022 a year when many people will consider moving. According to recent research by Randstad people are searching for their ideal job on a larger scale, both in terms of content and conditions. This has major implications for employers who must pull out all the stops to find and retain people. Whether and how supply and demand relate to each other also depends on the development of the corona pandemic.

Engineering, ICT, healthcare and education

Analysis by Randstad shows that almost every field is promising in 2022. However, it is also clear to see that the most vacancies are structurally open in particular in engineering, ICT, healthcare and education. Due to the pandemic, there is also a strong (temporary) growth in demand for specific personnel such as testers, customer service employees and delivery drivers.

Most requested occupations

The rapidly growing economy and aging certainly contribute to the many job opportunities. But developments in the areas of technology, climate and politics can also have a major impact on job opportunities. Think of the growing importance of cyber security, the energy transition and the agreements in the new coalition agreement.

These are the most in-demand occupations in 2022:

Rapidly growing mismatch

Jeroen Tiel, general manager Randstad Netherlands, expects us to face a "dynamic year" but also that the already growing mismatch between supply and demand on the labor market into gear: "We need to work together even more this year to make the right matches. Good data and analysis help tremendously in this regard. We know better than anyone else what people are looking for in a job and what they bring with them in terms of skills and talents. This is more valuable in making sustainable matches than just weighing the experience on someone's resume. Personal coaching, training and development can make all the difference. Together, we can ensure that demand better matches supply.

Randstad has compiled a list of the top three most promising jobs in 15 fields.

administrative, secretarial and HR

• recruiter
• HR consultant / HR business partner
• intercedent

agricultural & green

• landscaper/medical green worker
• agricultural employee
• agricultural machinist

analysis, research & development

• business analyst & consultant
• data analyst
• lab technician

construction

• installation technician
• carpenter/woman
• painter

financial

• financial controller
• compliance officer
• financial administrative assistant 

hospitality & recreation

• cook
• employee service
• hospitality manager

ICT

• security officer
• data engineer
• functional manager

customer advice

• customer service representative (including in financial services, telecom and e-commerce)
• support employee ICT
• commercial administrative assistant

education

• Dutch teacher (secondary education)
• teacher of mathematics and other science subjects (secondary education)
• group teacher (primary education)

public administration, justice & security

• security guard (objects)
• Lawyer (administrative law, business law)
• policy advisor (including housing, youth, WMO)

engineering

• machine mechanic (mechatronics)
• work planner engineering
• electrician

transport & logistics

• truck driver
• package delivery driver (driver's license B)
• logistics/warehouse employee

sales, marketing & communications

• seller
• product owner
• online marketer

welfare

• supervisor
• childcare pedagogical officer
• gz-psychologist

care

• Specialist nurse (including emergency room, ambulance, dialysis)
• caring IG (individual health care)
• home help / adl assistant (general daily living activities)

Experience increasingly no longer a requirement

Employers are less and less likely to ask potential employees for any kind of work experience in job postings. That's according to a data analysis by Indeed.

The number of jobs that explicitly state that no experience is required has increased by nearly 40 percent in a year. The number of job openings for people looking to retrain or lateral entry has also exploded in the past year.

Compared to a year ago, there are now 38 percent more vacancies in which employers have indicated that relevant work experience is not necessarily a requirement. And that is an interesting development according to Arjan Vissers, responsible for strategy at Indeed: "We see in our data that employers are trying out new ways to get good people in this tight labor market," Vissers says. "Finding new employees without experience in the job in question or coming from a different field of work is one of those ways."

Hospitality and sales lead the way

Vissers: "Sectors that experiment with this the most and emphasize in job postings that experience is not required are the hospitality and sales sectors. Certainly the first sector is having a hard time of course and has a hard time retaining people. Not focusing on experience automatically expands the pool of candidates. Traditionally, the hospitality industry has of course been a sector where experience was not always a plus, but the sales sector stands out. It is, of course, a sector where measurable results are key. Experience is secondary to that for employers."

Further training and retraining

Even greater than the proportion of jobs that do not require any track record appears to be the proportion of job postings that outline opportunities for further training. According to Vissers, it is a trend that fits the tight labor market of today: "Especially if we zoom in on the sectors that are now fully committed to retraining, we see that these are the fields of work where the need is high to get good people." Healthcare and education are currently increasingly accommodating lateral entrants. Because of long-term shortages in both sectors, this has been prevalent for some time." The sectors currently most frequently offering work for people willing to retrain are the installation technology and manufacturing sectors. "In these types of technical jobs, 'on-the-job-learning,' and thus hiring lateral entrants or retrainers is something that is more common."

Substantial growth

The increase in job openings for retrainers and lateral entrants, by the way, is not new. Last year, too, the number of jobs for people willing to do so increased significantly. Texts addressed to people who might want to side-channel are also becoming more common each year. "In both cases, the pandemic is clearly the cause of the explosion in increases," Vissers concludes.

Nice job scores higher than good salary

Young people with one or more part-time jobs find flexibility and a competitive salary important, but a great company to work for and a nice atmosphere on the work floor count at least as much when choosing a part-time job. This is the conclusion of temporary employment platform NOWJOBS based on a survey of more than 600 additional earners.

It is lucrative for employers to invest in an attractive workplace for side earners in addition to permanent employees. Young people with one or more side jobs are primarily looking for work that matches their schedule. They prefer a side job at times that fit their schedule. A competitive compensation for this flexible work is also very important to them.

Young people more sensitive to image of work environment

Young people are also sensitive to the image of the company they work for and to the 'fun at work' factor. "From the results we can conclude that additional earners are very loyal, more loyal than most employers might think," says Reinier Vastenburg, Country Manager of NOWJOBS Netherlands. "While they like to work on days and times that suit them best, at the same time they prefer to return to the one employer where it's just fun."

Cool job scores higher than good salary

The analysis of the survey results, by the way, shows that for female additional earners in particular, pleasure in work counts heavily. Almost half of the women surveyed say they consider this aspect very important (compared with a quarter for men). Men, on the other hand, consider salary more important than women and choose their side jobs accordingly more often than women. Across the board, both men and women have a clearer preference (70%) for a cool job than for a good salary. The latter explains, according to Vastenburg, that a job in the hospitality industry is still by far the most popular (especially at festivals), although a job as a delivery driver is also rising sharply in popularity.

Give them space and invest in attractive workplace

Above all, the research seems to indicate that it pays for employers to also invest in an attractive workplace for young adults. Vastenburg: "Our advice is twofold. One: don't try to frame additional earners in fixed days and fixed hours, because then you'll quickly lose them. And also offer them the opportunity to occasionally work a few days in a job that they really enjoy, such as at a festival. By being flexible yourself, you retain your side earners. Two: make sure they also enjoy working for you. That way, as an employer, you can gather around you a fairly loyal group of well-trained additional earners. You build up a pool of favorites with which you can easily absorb fluctuations in staffing levels."

Changes in collective bargaining agreement for temporary workers

As plans currently stand, there will be several changes to the ABU and NBBU collective bargaining agreements around Jan. 1, 2022.

Phase A/1-2

This goes back from 78 to 52 weeks, with 2022 being a transitional year. Agreements entered into in 2021 still fall under the old regime until December 31, 2022. Agreements starting as of Jan. 3, 2022 fall under the new regime.

Phase B/3

Stage B/3 is going down from 4 to 3 years. The SER opinion assumes of a phase B/3 period of 2 years. The parties are still discussing this.
2022 will be a transition year. Phase B/3 agreements entered into in 2021 will keep a 4-year term. Phase B/3 agreements starting Jan. 3, 2022 will fall under the new 3-year term.
In phase B/3, as now, a maximum of 6 contracts may be concluded.
An exception applies to Phase B/3 contracts entered into in 2021 with a term extending beyond Jan. 1, 2023, as they will remain subject to the current 4-year Phase B/3 term of application.

Hirer compensation

The hirer compensation will be expanded by several elements in the future. Starting in 2022, it will be the case for one-time benefits and work-at-home allowances.

One-time benefits

Currently, it is still the case that the lump sum payment is only required to be granted to temporary workers working under the Construction & Infra-collective bargaining agreement. As of 2022, this for all temporary workers. One-time benefits, for example, often come for when, with some delay, a new collective bargaining agreement is concluded. Then you regularly see that the elapsed period during which there was thus no wage increase is compensated with a one-time payment. The "care bonus" due to the corona crisis also falls under the term "one-time payments." A thirteenth month and (year-end) bonus are not included in the one-time payments. One-time benefits can lead to unpleasant discussions with clients in various situations. An example of this can be read in the aforementioned article on one-time payments in the Construction Industry.

Home work allowances

As compensation is provided at the hirer for working from home, temporary workers are also entitled to this allowance.

Migrant Workers

The most important change is, that the labor migrant coming to the Netherlands for the first time is entitled to the full-time WML during the first two months, regardless of whether or not there are not full-time is worked on. An exception can be made for short-term projects, but then there are special requirements for the formation of the contract. There is also talk of preventing the accumulation of debt before work begins and a reasonable period of probably four weeks that the migrant must be given to leave housing after the end of employment.

Unworkable weather

As of October 1, 2021, a regulation for unworkable weather will be included in the Temporary Employment Agreement. This will put an end to the situation that arose after the "Scheme unworkable weather" was created. Several conditions will be attached to the regulation of unworkable weather as it will be included in the Temporary Employment Agreement.

Sustainable employability

Additional investment in innovative labor market projects is planned. In recent years, the SFU premium has fluctuated between 0.5% and the (maximum) 0.2% of the wage. The bet is that this premium will henceforth be set at 0.2%.

StiPP pension

The changes effective Jan. 1, 2022, relate to the reference period and pensionable earnings.

Reference period

The waiting period of 26 worked weeks is reduced to 8 worked weeks.

Basis

From 2022, the sv wage will be the basis for the StiPP base. Exceptions are the fiscal addition of the lease car and the exchange of employment conditions, the so-called ET-exchange. As now, pension premium will therefore have to be paid on the salary before the ET-exchange.

An important change in the new basis is that from now on pension premiums must be paid on overtime wages (because that is also SS wages) and also on the supplementary part of the wages for irregular hours and shifts. Until now, no pension premium was due on that part of the salary.

Pension contribution over reserves

Temporary employment agencies now have the choice of paying the pension premium over the reserves when accruing or when the reserves are paid out. It seems obvious that in the new situation this choice option will be dropped and that the basis must always be the sv wage paid out. The advantage of this is that verification of the correct basis will become much more transparent. The question is what is going to happen for the staffing agencies that currently make pension contributions as reserves accrue. If there no transitional measures are taken, then it becomes an expensive business for those employment agencies. In 2021 they are already paying pension premium on the accrual of the reserves and then there will be another due when those same reserves are paid out in 2022. Let's hope the StiPP thinks about this carefully and comes up with a suitable solution.

How to apply.

In addition to these changes, there are undoubtedly other changes coming your way as of Jan. 1, 2022. Are you curious about how to implement these changes smartly and properly? Please feel free to contact with us.

Healthcare and accountancy vacancies long open

Flow-through in healthcare creates problems. Accountants and bookkeepers are in high demand due to the pandemic. Almost every sector is tight right now, with the result that nearly half of all job openings remain open for more than two months. Long-term vacancies are those for jobs in healthcare and financial services. This is according to research by Indeed, which analyzed job postings on its website by the length of time vacancies remain open.

"Vacancies are not easily filled because few job seekers are looking for a new job. Those with paid jobs hesitate to switch," notes Arjan Vissers, responsible for strategy at Indeed. "For example, we normally see an increasing number of transfers after a summer vacation. That increase has so far failed to materialize. With a lot of long-term vacancies as a result."

Healthcare sector barely gets vacancies filled

The list of long-term vacancies is largely dominated by healthcare vacancies. Indeed's analysis shows that it is a large proportion of nursing and physician vacancies currently not being filled within two months. "It is worrisome for an industry when vacancies are not filled," Vissers said. "In home care, for example, it takes an employer longer than two months to find a nurse or nurse practitioner in almost seventy percent of cases. The fact that vacancies just don't get filled exposes the structural problem in healthcare: the flow and influx of healthcare personnel is barely picking up."

High demand for accountants and bookkeepers

Last year, the hardest-to-fill vacancy was that of supermarket branch manager. That vacancy is still on the list: half of supermarket manager vacancies remain open for more than two months. Last year it was more than ninety percent. This year, the accountant vacancy ranks as the hardest-to-fill vacancy: in 85 percent of cases, the (chartered) accountant vacancy remains open for more than two months. The top ten most difficult-to-fill vacancies include three accountant vacancies. Not only accountant vacancies, but vacancies for accountants and financial controllers also remain open for long periods of time.

Vissers: "It is striking that many of the vacancies that are open for a relatively long period of time, such as those of accountant or nurse, require a recognized education. This means that employers can only find staff in a select group and they are therefore constantly fishing in the same pond. While workers today are actually less willing to change jobs. This makes those job openings stay open even longer."

Agreement Unions and ABU on new collective bargaining agreement

After more than a year, an agreement has been reached between unions FNV, CNV Vakmensen, De Unie and the ABU on a new collective agreement for temporary workers. This will provide this group with greater job security, better pension accrual and reduce the difference in pay between temporary and permanent staff. And specifically for migrant workers there will be, among other things, an income guarantee for the first two months.

The new collective bargaining agreement goes into effect Nov. 17, 2021 with a term until Jan. 2, 2023 (the agreements are now being submitted to union members).

Negotiation result

The negotiation result is the result of more than a year of talks. Negotiations began in September 2020 but broke down in late May. After the parties involved sat around the table again in September, things started to move forward. Jurriën Koops, director ABU: "We cannot and will not deny that we have a turbulent negotiation process behind us. But these four parties have found each other in the interest of the staffing industry to achieve a collective agreement with broad support. With this we want to lay the foundation for a joint further implementation of the SER advisory report 'Security for people, an agile economy and restoration of society."

Equivalency

It was agreed that the so-called "hirer's remuneration" will be extended. "The wages and other working conditions of temporary workers must become equivalent to those of their colleagues employed by the hirer, with this agreement the difference is already becoming smaller. It has been agreed to take the necessary steps to realize this equivalence in the next multi-year collective agreement," says FNV Flex director Karin Heynsdijk. The pension will also improve: pension accrual starts earlier and is built up over a larger portion of income.

Greater job security

Furthermore, there will be more job security. The duration of an initial temporary contract goes from a maximum of 78 weeks to a maximum of 52 weeks. The period during which someone may be given a fixed-term contract will also be shorter, going from 4 to 3 years. This will make the step to permanent employment faster.

Migrant Workers

In addition to regulations that apply to all temporary workers, the position of migrant workers was also examined. The recommendations of the so-called Aanjaagteam Bescherming Arbeidsmigranten led by Emile Roemer were used as guidelines. There will be an income guarantee equal to the statutory minimum wage for the first two months with a temporary employer. It has also been agreed that migrant workers can remain in housing for up to four weeks after the end of the temporary contract. Marten Jukema of CNV Vakmensen says, "Not all of the recommendations of the Aanjaagteam can be regulated through the collective bargaining agreement, but with this we are taking a nice step and at the same time we are also talking at other tables and with other stakeholders about issues such as housing for labor migrants."

What is the NBBU's reaction to this agreement?

"The NBBU has learned that the ABU has reached an agreement with FNV, CNV and the Union. The NBBU is not part of that agreement and is itself still in talks. We are striving for a situation in which the interests of NBBU members are best represented. We already agreed with most of the mentioned improvements for temporary workers in the ABU message earlier this year."

Source: ABU and FNV Flex, CNV Vakmensen, De Unie, November 17, 2021

Employees no longer want to go to the office full-time

Employers may not be able to wait to walk into a busy office again; most employees think otherwise. A FNV union poll of 5,300 members shows that only 10% want to return to the office full-time. Something for the works council to take into account when requesting assent on the homeworking policy.

From a poll from union FNV shows that only 10% of workers are want to work full-time in the office again. The vast majority (70%) would prefer to work hybrid (that is, partly in the office and partly from home) and 20% would prefer to work only from home. FNV members also view working from home more positively than last year. Now 78% say they like working from home, compared to 66% last year. Also, 30% say they experience no or too little say in where work takes place. As many as 63% think there should be a legal right to work from home so that employees have more say. FNV conducted the poll among 5,300 members from the financial sector, business services and (municipal) governments who have the option of working from home.

OR best to consult constituency before council agrees

The Works Council has a right of consent in the case of a home working arrangement. This falls under an arrangement for working conditions (Article 27, paragraph 1d of the Works Councils Act). Before the OR considers such a request for consent, it is smart to consult the constituency. The Works Council can then take stock of the wishes and needs of its members and discuss them with the director. There are, however, a number of points of attention for the OR when consulting its members.

Works council must look after the interests of both constituency and organization

The manager would be wise to take the wishes of employees into account. After all, employee satisfaction often translates into higher motivation and lower absenteeism. Does the policy that the director has in mind has very much depended on what if the employees want a change, the works council is faced with the challenge of representing the interests of both the employees and the organization during consultation with the director. It is then particularly important for the Works Council to examine whether the intended goals of the director can also be realized with alternatives that are better suited to the needs of the supporters. It is also important cons eliminate or limit as much as possible.

OR must carefully balance different interests

The Works Council must carefully weigh the various interests and goals and the pros and cons. In the director's opinion, what is the added value of working in the office? Does working in the office provide More bonding with the organization and with colleagues? Can this be achieved even with fewer office days? An often heard and important benefit from working from home is a better work-life balance for employees. In addition, it can save the manager money by reducing the need for office space. A flexible home-working arrangement also allows the organization to present itself as an attractive employer, making employees happy to (continue to) work there and making vacancies easier to fill.