Half of Dutch recruiters think there’s a skill shortage in the Netherlands
The Dutch workforce could be facing a skills gap crisis according to Dutch recruitment agencies. 100 Senior Decision Makers at Dutch based agencies were surveyed revealing that half (50%) agree there is a skills shortage among workers in the Netherlands.
The findings suggest a notable skills gap in sectors crucial to the nation. The healthcare sector is thought to be worst hit, with 35% of recruiters saying this sector faces the biggest skills gap among Dutch workers. Construction (34%) and education (29%) fall closely behind.
Despite this, only 31% agree that there’s not enough talent in the Netherlands, with 48% disagreeing with this statement.
Encouragingly, the survey reveals a silver lining in the form of expanding job opportunities. A substantial 61% of recruiters report that there are now more job prospects compared to the previous year.
However, traditional recruitment agencies are poised to confront challenges in the evolving landscape. Three quarters (75%) agree that businesses are looking to hire more diversely while almost half (47%) report reductions in business’s recruitment budgets.
An expected influx of foreign workers could have an impact on challenges the Dutch recruitment market faces. Three quarters (72%) of the recruiters surveyed believe that there will be more foreign people looking for work in the Netherlands in the next 5 years, compared to now, signalling a potential solution to the skills shortage issue, and potentially others too.
