{"id":1933,"date":"2026-09-29T10:30:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T08:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fosfor.nl\/?p=1933"},"modified":"2026-08-31T11:24:38","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T09:24:38","slug":"labour-market-shortages-in-figures-blue-collar-workers-under-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fosfor.nl\/en\/arbeidsmarktkrapte-in-cijfers-blue-collar-onder-druk\/","title":{"rendered":"Labour market shortages in figures: blue-collar workers under pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dutch labour market remains tight: in 2024, for every 100 unemployed people, there were on average around 105 to 110 job vacancies (CBS, 2024). For blue-collar roles in engineering, construction, manufacturing and logistics, the pressure is even greater, meaning these vacancies tend to remain unfilled for the longest period of time.<\/p>\n

If you have hard-to-fill vacancies in engineering or manufacturing, you\u2019ll feel the impact every day: too few applications, excessively long recruitment times and competitors vying for the same skilled workers. In this article, we set out the key figures and explain what this shortage actually means for your recruitment efforts.<\/p>\n

According to the figures, how tight is the labour market in the Netherlands?<\/h2>\n

The labour market is tight: in 2024, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) recorded an average of around 390,000 to 400,000 unfilled vacancies, whilst unemployment remained low at around 3.7% (CBS, 2024). The UWV\u2019s labour market tension indicator therefore classified the market as \u201ctight\u201d to \u201cvery tight\u201d.<\/p>\n

The labour market tension indicator shows the number of job vacancies per jobseeker. The UWV defines a ratio above 1.5 as a very tight labour market. In technical and industrial occupations, this ratio is consistently higher than the national average (UWV, 2024).<\/p>\n

What is striking is that the skills shortage is no longer just a temporary spike. Due to an ageing population, more skilled workers will be leaving the workforce than entering it in the coming years, whilst demand for technical staff \u2013 particularly for the energy transition \u2013 is actually on the rise (ROA, 2023).<\/p>\n

Incidentally, you don\u2019t need to buy any expensive tools to carry out an initial analysis. In our overview of labour market data that you can use without expensive tools<\/a> you can find out which public sources you can use straight away.<\/p>\n

What does the shortage mean for blue-collar vacancies?<\/h2>\n

For blue-collar vacancies, this shortage translates in practical terms to: fewer suitable applicants per vacancy, longer recruitment times and greater competition for the same candidates. Whilst white-collar roles often still attract a sufficient number of applications, for roles such as mechanics, welders, operators and drivers, you need to actively recruit rather than wait for applicants to come forward.<\/p>\n\t\t

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