The number of permanent employees and the self-employed increased significantly in the last quarter compared to the same period last year. For example, 95,000 people with permanent contracts and 48,000 flexible workers have been added. The number of self-employed rose by 127,000 to 1.2 million.
This is evident from data from Statistics Netherlands on Thursday. The growth in the number of self-employed workers is mainly reflected in the healthcare sector, followed by the technical, commercial and ICT professions.
The number of self-employed in a caring and care profession increased by 34,000 in the recent quarter compared to a year ago. They worked mainly as social workers, group and accommodation supervisors, psychologists, sociologists and medical specialists.
There has also been a sharp increase in the number of carpenters, marketing consultants, in public relations and sales, and in software and application developers.
The number of employees also increased by 143,000 compared to a year ago. Of these, approximately two-thirds are employees with a permanent employment relationship, the rest with a flexible contract.
Companies more willing to give a permanent contract
Employers are increasingly willing to give people permanent contracts due to staff shortages. In this way, companies hope to retain their employees.
CBS data also shows that many employees are choosing to be self-employed without employees, especially in industries where there are severe shortages. This way they can earn more than in paid work, because they can charge a higher hourly rate.
From the second to third quarters, 60,000 employees transitioned to self-employment. Additionally, an estimated 54,000 people started out as self-employed with no jobs while out of work.
The number of flexible employees decreased in the recent quarter compared to three months earlier, while the number of permanent employees continued to grow. The total number of employees with a flexible working relationship is still 50,000 higher than the previous year.
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