View from the Ground
The Talent Mismatch Indicator has risen by a considerable amount again this year, demonstrating that many of the skills available do not match the skills sought by businesses. In some fields, such as IT, it is already common for businesses to attract skilled individuals from abroad, in order to fill any skills gaps they are experiencing. Businesses are also attracting people from the local labour market who don’t necessarily have all the skills they are looking for but instead have the potential to learn them quickly, through training and upskilling opportunities. In an extremely competitive market, employers must review their attraction and retention strategies to ensure they are able to secure the very best talent who already possess the right skills. It is therefore essential for organisations to work on an excellent employer brand.
David Trollope, Managing Director, Hays Netherlands
Key Skills in Demand
- Account Managers
- Software Engineers
- Web Developers
- Sales Managers
- Financial Controllers
Market Insight
Unemployment in the Netherlands reached a 10-year low of 3.8% in 2018 and the job vacancies rate reached an all-time high.
Despite this strong labour market performance, wage growth has been constrained by slow productivity growth and increasing part-time and self-employed work.
The Netherlands has among the highest rates of part-time and self-employment among industrial economies. The share of part-time employment in total employment, for instance, was the highest of the OECD countries, and more than twice the EU average. While non-standard forms of employment provide flexibility to workers and employers alike, some of these workers may have taken part-time roles involuntarily, having a preference for a full-time role with higher wages.
