In 2026, temporary work in the Netherlands is strongly dependent on workers who were born outside the country. This is a consequence of trends that were visible in previous years. Data published by CBS show that more than half of the positions provided through temporary work were filled by migrants.

Table of contents

1. Scale and significance of the phenomenon
   
2. Key factors and data
   
3. Structure of workers’ origin
   
4. Short length of stay and its consequences
   
5. Challenges and problems
   
6. Expert analysis
   
7. Recommendations and solutions
   
8. FAQ

Scale and significance of the phenomenon

In order to fill labor shortages in the economy, the Netherlands has largely based its system on the temporary work sector. In 2024, more than 2.3 thousand employment agencies were actively operating, which together provided around 407 thousand jobs.

Considering the scale, we can conclude that temporary work does not only serve as a supplement to the market, but is its important element and finds application especially in areas requiring uninterrupted staffing and high organizational flexibility.

The importance of this sector lies not only in the number of jobs offered, but in its systemic function. TTemporary work in the Netherlands increasingly acts as a labor market buffer. It absorbs tensions caused by labor shortages, volatile demand and cost pressure. Thanks to this, it is possible to maintain the continuity of production and logistics processes even in conditions of low unemployment and limited availability of local workers.

Among temporary workers themselves, as many as 52.4% were workers born outside the Netherlands, and in the entire sector – counted together with agency administrative staff – this share amounted to 44.4%. To illustrate the scale of the phenomenon, one can go back to 2010, when this share was 27.2%. In a relatively short time, a large increase was recorded, which indicates that the temporary work sector has become an area of particularly strong internationalization of the labor market, significantly outpacing the pace of changes observed in the entire economy.

Looking at this from a macroeconomic perspective, we can conclude that the consequence is a strong dependence of many industries on the efficient functioning of temporary work. This sector has ceased to be a tool allowing for a quick response in the event of sudden increases or seasonality, and has begun to gain increasing importance. We have reached a point where the economy, through temporary employment agencies, absorbs a significant part of the additional labor supply.

Considering the scale, it is not surprising that changes occurring in the temporary work sector significantly affect other industries. Problems with the availability of workers, rising employment costs or organizational conditions will affect the entire supply chain. As a result, temporary work in the Netherlands is not only a barometer of tensions in the labor market, but one of the main factors influencing the country’s economic stability. This confirms how temporary work Netherlands foreign-born workers have become essential to economic stability.

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Key factors and data

Changes and the impact of the temporary work sector on the overall picture of the economy in the Netherlands are not the result of a crisis or a one-time shock. It is a combination of factors that have been gradually accumulating. Ultimately, temporary work has become the area where tensions and problems appear the fastest and in the most pronounced way. The data clearly show that temporary work Netherlands foreign-born workers are a structural solution, not a short-term fix.

The greatest importance is the correlation between the demand for labor and the profile of the currently available workforce. The greatest demand is for filling positions requiring availability, physical and shift work, while the qualification structure of local workers increasingly poorly matches these needs. As a result, the temporary work sector plays the role of an adaptive mechanism that enables companies to function despite the growing mismatch in the labor market.

Labor market pressure and structural mismatch

Due to the tight labor market, companies increasingly report problems filling vacancies using local resources. The biggest difficulties occur in agriculture, distribution centers and industry, i.e. in sectors where the number of job offers significantly exceeds the number of candidates willing to take up work. For this reason, international recruitment becomes a necessity if a company wants to maintain its current volume or increase it.

Another problem is the mismatch of qualifications to the nature of available positions. As emphasized by the chief economist of the statistical agency Peter Hein van Mulligen:

“Dutch workers are often too highly educated for the available jobs, so employers then still have to look abroad.”

This means that the labor market problem does not boil down solely to the number of workers, but to the structure of labor supply. The high level of education of the local workforce does not always correspond to the demand for specific types of work. In such conditions, temporary work becomes a natural channel for acquiring workers from abroad, and its importance systematically grows.

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Structure of workers’ origin

A significant majority of temporary workers in the Netherlands are people born in Europe. The largest group consists of Poles, whose number is around 82.5 thousand. The next places are occupied by Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria, which together fill around 66 thousand temporary jobs. Workers from outside Europe filled over 20 thousand positions.

Although wage differences between Western and Central-Eastern Europe are beginning to blur, workers from this region are characterized by greater mobility and willingness to take up work below their qualifications. Thanks to this, companies gain access to a theoretically stable personnel base. Theoretically, because competition between destination countries for the same candidates continues to grow. In the longer term, this increases pressure on working conditions, living costs and the quality of employment organization.

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Short length of stay and its consequences

Contemporary temporary work in the Netherlands is characterized by a short length of stay of a significant part of workers. According to CBS data, over 67% of temporary work is performed by people staying in the country for less than two years. This means that significant parts of many industries operate based on workers at an early stage of adaptation, often without long-term plans related to the Dutch labor market.

From an organizational perspective, a short length of stay changes the way entire teams function. Workers who are just learning work realities, procedures and organizational culture need more support and clear frameworks for action. At the same time, companies must take into account that investment in adaptation does not always translate into long-term cooperation. As a result, the temporary work sector operates in conditions of permanent “workforce liquidity,” which becomes its permanent feature rather than an exception.

Short length of stay also affects workplace relationships. Teams are reconfigured more often, and continuity is sometimes interrupted. This translates into a greater burden on permanent employees and shift leaders, who must constantly onboard new people and somehow compensate for the lack of experience. On the organizational scale, this leads to an increase in indirect costs that are difficult to capture in simple employment calculations.

High turnover as a systemic feature

When an employee’s stay is short-term, turnover is a recurring phenomenon and has a systemic character. This is a consequence of an employment model based on high mobility, and not merely the effect of dissatisfaction or wage levels elsewhere. Since many people treat temporary work as a transitional stage, this limits the possibility of building long-term team stability.

Of course, this affects the way the company functions and its results. Due to constant turnover, periods appear in which the company operates with reduced productivity, there is a greater risk of errors, and a need to involve permanent employees in training new ones. In such conditions, the key factor of success is not the number of available workers, but the company’s ability to operate in conditions of constant change.

This situation also affects the perception of temporary work by workers. This type of employment is for people more an opportunity for quick earnings than an element of building a stable career path. As a result, temporary work in the Netherlands increasingly clearly functions as a market segment based on short employment cycles, the consequences of which are felt not only at the level of individual companies, but of the entire economy.

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Challenges and problems

International worker mobility is a model whose structure has significant tensions. Thanks to this solution, enterprises can quickly respond to staff shortages, but must also face greater employment complexity. In 2026, challenges related to responsibility in the chain of intermediaries, the organization of accommodation and transport, and communication in a multilingual environment are particularly visible.

Companies compete for short-term workers, and because many of them are present in the country, even small deviations from a migrant’s expectations may result in their departure. The effect of this state of affairs is that companies operate in a mode of continuous recruitment, and their ability to maintain stability depends more on HR activities than on the availability of candidates.

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Expert analysis

From the perspective of Intraservis experts, CBS data only confirm what has long been said in the context of the Netherlands. Temporary work is currently a permanent element of the labor market structure, which is strongly dependent on labor migration. Competitive advantage therefore lies not only in the quick acquisition of workers, but also in the ability to properly onboard them, create appropriate conditions for them and retain these people within organizational structures.

Although pay rates of course significantly influence the choice of workplace, schedule predictability, clear rules, good communication and organizational support determine whether an employee stays with a company. This is probably the most important factor when the market operates in a model in which employees work for short periods in selected places.

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Recommendations and solutions

In 2026, companies using temporary work should treat it as a process, not a one-time reaction to labor shortages. This means the need to organize onboarding, standardize communication and exercise real quality control over recruitment partners. Where these elements are consistent, turnover decreases and temporary work fulfills its stabilizing function.

From the perspective of the market and public institutions, regulatory predictability is of great importance. Because the scale of the share of workers born abroad in the temporary work sector is very large, even small changes in regulations may have wide economic consequences.

CBS data clearly show that temporary work in the Netherlands is to a very large extent based on foreign workers and that this is a long-term trend. In these realities – in 2026 and probably every subsequent year – the key challenge for companies will be retaining employees in the workplace, not merely finding them.

If your company uses temporary work or plans international recruitment, contact Intraservis experts. Our company specializes in recruitment, coordination, legalization and payroll and HR services. Thanks to our support, you will reduce turnover and increase employment predictability. Any long-term strategy must recognize that temporary work Netherlands foreign-born workers will remain central beyond 2026.

FAQ – frequently asked questions

Why does temporary work Netherlands foreign-born workers rely so heavily on migration?

Because the labor market is structurally tight and local labor supply does not meet demand in sectors such as logistics, agriculture and industry.

Is the high share of foreigners in temporary work a temporary phenomenon?

No. CBS data show a systematic increase in this share since 2010, indicating a permanent structural change.

Which countries do most temporary workers come from?

The largest group consists of people born in Poland, followed by Romania, Ukraine and Bulgaria.

How does a short length of stay affect employment stability?

It increases turnover and the importance of the quality of onboarding and work organization in the initial period of employment.

What is the biggest challenge for companies in 2026?

Maintaining operational stability with high worker mobility and growing organizational complexity.

How can companies reduce turnover?

By providing predictable conditions, consistent onboarding and clear communication, which are more important than the pay rate alone.

Food waste labour shortages Netherlands reveal that losses occur across the entire food supply chain, not only at consumer level. Doing so makes it clear that the problem arises across the entire supply chain. According to research institutions, a very large share of losses occurs much earlier than might be expected. Using the Netherlands as an example, it can be observed that this often happens at the very beginning of the process and is frequently caused by a shortage of labour. The problem is most evident in sectors where work is seasonal, time-intensive, and difficult to fully automate. As a result, a lack of workers translates directly into the scale of food waste in the Netherlands, despite high levels of production and sustained market demand.

Table of Contents

1. Overproduction of food and real operational constraints
2. Staff shortages in the Netherlands – data and market trends
3. Agriculture and the agro-food sector as areas of particular risk
4. Food waste as an effect of labour constraints
5. The role of foreign workers and employment agencies
6. FAQ

1. Overproduction of food and real operational constraints

At the outset, it is worth noting that Dutch agriculture is characterised by exceptionally high efficiency on a European scale. Under favourable weather conditions, harvest volumes may significantly exceed long-term averages. This seemingly positive situation quickly exposes a fundamental weakness within the system. Once an entrepreneur realises that the available workforce is insufficient to process harvested food on time, production volume becomes a secondary concern. The relatively short shelf life of agricultural products, particularly fruit and vegetables, requires immediate action at the stages of harvesting, sorting, and initial processing.

Seasonality of harvests and time pressure

Due to the seasonal nature of agricultural production, demand for workers occurs within short and extremely intensive periods. At specific moments, labour demand increases sharply, and when labour markets such as that of the Netherlands are already experiencing structural shortages, operational difficulties inevitably arise. If workers are not available at the right moment, even minor delays can result in significant quality losses and, subsequently, quantitative losses. Losses generated at this stage of the supply chain are irreversible and cannot be compensated for later through logistics or commercial operations.

Weather variability further intensifies this pressure. Harvest windows are sometimes shorter than anticipated, which increases the need for workforce flexibility. A lack of workers at critical moments leads to crops being left in the fields or harvested too late, when product quality no longer meets commercial standards. From the perspective of businesses, this results not only in financial losses but also in wasted natural resources, energy, and labour inputs. Over time, this dynamic reduces the efficiency of the entire agri-food sector and increases its vulnerability to market fluctuations.

2. Staff shortages in the Netherlands – data and market trends

The lack of a sufficient number of workers has become a permanent feature of the Dutch economic landscape. Data from the Netherlands Business Survey indicate that approximately two-thirds of companies operating in the Netherlands experience staffing difficulties, with the scale of the problem varying by company size. Larger enterprises report labour shortages more frequently than smaller ones, which has direct implications for sectors reliant on high production and processing volumes. This confirms that food waste labour shortages Netherlands represent a structural economic risk.

In response, companies adopt a range of strategies aimed at mitigating workforce shortages. In practice, however, not all of these approaches deliver immediate results, particularly in sectors requiring physical labour. Investments in automation are often intended to improve productivity and make jobs more attractive, yet their impact is gradual and does not address urgent labour gaps. Consequently, some businesses choose to reduce production levels to match available staffing capacity, effectively limiting operations despite existing demand.

Demographic trends further exacerbate this situation. An ageing population combined with a declining number of individuals willing to undertake physically demanding work creates a persistent labour gap within the Dutch labour market. This shortage persists even during periods of economic slowdown, indicating that it is structural rather than cyclical. In sectors such as agriculture and food processing, this reality means that labour shortages in the Netherlands represent a long-term operational risk that continues to affect production capacity and food availability.

3. Agriculture and the agro-food sector as areas of particular risk

Agriculture and the agro-food sector are among the industries most exposed to the consequences of labour shortages. This vulnerability stems from both the nature of the work and the organisation of production processes. Agricultural production and food processing depend on tasks carried out within strictly defined time windows, often determined by weather conditions and biological growth cycles. This limits flexibility in rescheduling operations, and any delay can result in quality deterioration and volume losses. Unlike many other sectors, the agro-food industry cannot simply compensate for missed work at a later stage without compromising the final product.

Foreign recruitment as a response to labour deficits

According to Statistics Netherlands, companies operating in agriculture, forestry, and fishing are more likely than those in other sectors to identify recruitment from abroad as a key strategy for addressing workforce shortages. In the Netherlands Business Survey conducted in April 2025, 23 percent of firms in this sector indicated that they recruit workers from outside the country, the highest proportion among all analysed industries. These findings show that reliance on foreign workers in the Netherlands is not a temporary solution but a permanent element of the agro-food operating model.

Structural dependence on seasonal work

The agro-food sector’s dependence on seasonal labour is structural. While technology supports sorting, packaging, and logistics, it cannot fully replace human labour during harvesting and quality selection of fresh products. International analyses confirm that the sector relies heavily on temporary and migrant workers who enable production continuity during peak periods. Without access to seasonal workers, companies face increased food losses, supply-chain instability, and reduced ability to respond to fluctuations in supply and demand.

4. Food waste as an effect of labour constraints

According to data from the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, food losses are not solely the result of consumer behaviour but occur to a large extent during production, processing, and distribution stages. Workforce shortages prevent companies from fully utilising production capacity even when demand is high. As a result, part of the output is discarded or never enters commercial circulation. In practice, food waste labour shortages Netherlands directly limit the ability to process food on time.

The Netherlands Nutrition Centre clearly highlights this issue, stating:

“Food waste occurs throughout the food supply chain, from primary production to consumption, with a significant share arising before food reaches the consumer.”

This observation confirms that a substantial share of food loss in the supply chain arises at stages highly dependent on labour availability. Even minor staffing gaps can therefore lead to disproportionately large losses, particularly in the case of perishable goods requiring rapid handling.

An additional factor increasing food waste is the need to align production with available labour resources. CBS data show that companies increasingly limit their activities to levels manageable with their current workforce (CBS, Netherlands Business Survey, April 2025). While such decisions may be rational from an operational perspective, they contribute to systemic food waste and economic value loss, while also increasing environmental pressure through inefficient use of resources.

5. The role of foreign workers and employment agencies

When labour shortages become structural, the role of professional employment agencies gains systemic importance. Cooperation with an employment agency in the Netherlands is no longer a short-term solution but an integral part of labour-market functioning, particularly in sectors sensitive to seasonality and time pressure.

Foreign workers play a crucial role in stabilising operations by enabling companies to respond flexibly to fluctuating labour demand. During peak harvest periods or increased processing activity, access to additional workforce resources determines whether food is harvested, processed, and delivered to market on time. Without such flexibility, companies are forced to reduce production or utilise only part of their output, directly increasing food waste.

Employment agencies are responsible not only for recruitment but also for managing the entire employment process. In the case of Intraservis, this includes workforce planning, legalisation of residence and employment, transport and accommodation arrangements, and ongoing operational support. Such temporary staffing solutions allow companies to focus on core activities while significantly reducing the risk of disruptions caused by staffing shortages.

To limit food waste, the ability to respond quickly to changing production conditions is essential. Seasonal cycles, demand fluctuations, and weather variability require flexible employment models that cannot be sustained through the local labour market alone. Legally employed foreign workers help maintain operational continuity during periods of peak pressure.

Labour-market experts emphasise that demographic trends will further increase the importance of employment agencies. An ageing population, declining interest in physically demanding work, and rising expectations regarding working conditions make workforce shortages in the agro-food sector a lasting challenge. In this context, the absence of foreign workers would not only increase production costs but also exacerbate food waste.

Without intervention, food waste labour shortages Netherlands will continue to intensify across the agri-food sector. From a long-term perspective, strategic cooperation with employment agencies improves production planning and reduces the risk of unexpected downtime. This enhances process predictability, enables better use of production capacity, and supports sustainable development by reducing waste of natural resources and labour.

Food waste in the Netherlands increasingly results from persistent labour-market constraints that limit companies’ ability to manage production efficiently. Flexible workforce management, including access to foreign labour, is therefore a key factor in reducing losses throughout the agri-food supply chain.

FAQ – most frequently asked questions

1. Why do food waste labour shortages Netherlands persist despite high agricultural efficiency?

Because in many cases there is a lack of workers able to harvest, process, and pack products within short, seasonal time windows.

2. Does a lack of workers really affect the scale of food losses?

Yes. Workforce shortages cause operational delays that, for fresh products, result in irreversible losses.

3. Which sectors are most exposed to this problem?

Agriculture, food processing, and logistics, as they rely on seasonal labour and have limited automation potential.

4. Why do companies not solve the problem solely through automation?

Automation improves efficiency but does not replace physical labour required for harvesting, sorting, and packing fresh products.

5. What role do foreign workers play in the agro-food sector?

They provide critical labour capacity that enables production continuity during periods of peak demand.

6. Can flexible employment reduce food waste?

Yes. Access to temporary workers allows faster responses to production variability and reduces losses at early supply-chain stages.