Why do 4.5 million Dutch people work part-time and don’t work more hours? | NOW

The shortage on the labor market is increasing and various sectors are struggling with a significant shortage of personnel. In the meantime, the Netherlands is known as the champion of part-time work, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands. Why do so many Dutch people work three or four days a week? And what needs to be done to change that?

Of the 9.4 million people registered as employed in the first months of this year, just over 4.9 million are working full-time. Exactly 4.5 million workers do not. Women in particular, about three million, work part-time. Most part-timers are active in sectors such as catering, trade and transport. Relatively many people also work part-time in healthcare, education and government.

How do we ensure that part-timers work more hours?

“It’s not complicated at all: we have to make it more attractive for part-timers to work more hours. Many people want that too, especially among employees with smaller jobs,” says a spokesperson for employers’ association AWVN.

What can companies arrange?

“Employers should therefore take a closer look at the schedules, so that it is also easier for employees to arrange childcare.” The AWVN also points out that something has to change from a tax point of view. “If you start working more, that means a higher income. Then people are no longer entitled to certain allowances.”

Why are there so many people who work part-time?

“That’s part of the culture”, says Rabobank economist Nic Vrieselaar. “And in addition, there are many good part-time jobs in our country. You can be a department head and work for four days. Or a good doctor who is present for three days. The offer of part-time jobs is large. Moreover, there are many employees who start their first job part-time, as often happens in health care and education.”

Is part-time also a part of the tradition in the Netherlands?

“It’s our history and culture,” says Geraldine Septer of Het Potentieel Pakken, a foundation that is committed to fully exploiting the potential in our labor market. “We see, for example, in healthcare and education that people work part-time. At school, those people were already told to choose this, because it involves heavy work.”

Furthermore, there is pressure from social circles and women still propagate the motherhood ideology among themselves, Septer believes. “Besides working, they also want to take care of the children.”

Are there also people who opt for part-time, for example because they have low monthly payments?

Certainly, some people have paid off a large part of their mortgage, for example, and therefore have lower monthly payments. “Then you can ask yourself why you should still work full-time. As soon as you have the budget, you might prefer to ‘buy’ free time by working less,” explains Rabobank economist Vrieselaar.

Can employees decide for themselves whether they want to work less?

“Yes, in the Netherlands we have the legal right to work part-time,” says Vrieselaar. “An employer may only refuse this in certain exceptional circumstances. For example, if it concerns a position for which the employee is indispensable. Or if there are serious business reasons.”

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