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The recent labour market shortage is putting pressure on the Dutch part time working culture. Jan Paternotte (D66) and Sophie Hermans (VVD) recently won support in the Tweede Kamer for swift government measures to address the current Dutch worker shortage crisis. What do these measures entail? Well, one proposal is a bonus for those working full time.

The Dutch Part Time Culture in Statistics

According to Patternote’s recent tweet, 23.3% of men and 73.4% of women work part time in the Netherlands. He states that the European average is 8% for men and 30,7% for women. Quite the difference eh?

The CBS puts Dutch part time working in 2021 at 28% of men and 70% of women in the labour market. Of the 9.3 million people with a paid job in the Netherlands, nearly half work less than 35 hours per week. One comment is this that the 9.3 million includes those from 15 years of age up to 75. I don’t know about your 15 year old, but mine actually needs to go to school so his job is, of course, for a couple of hours a week only….

The average working week in the Netherlands is 30.9 hours.

Most part time positions are in the hospitality and leisure industry, health care and education.

It is worth nothing that whilst the Dutch work fewer hours than European counterparts, a larger proportion of the population in the Netherlands is part of the workforce, compared to other countries.

The Dutch Labour Market Shortage in Statistics

According to the UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen), there were 44% more vacancies in the second quarter of 2022 than in the same period a year ago. There is a record breaking shortage in every sector.

Patternote lays the blame for hospital waiting times and school classes being sent home at the feet of part time workers in these sectors.

Aim of Measures to Tackle the Dutch Labour Shortage

So what measures are the Dutch government considering to tackle the labour shortage?

One of the priorities is to get people already in the labour market working more hours. In short, tackling the Dutch part time working culture. How do you stimulate workers to add more hours to their working week? A bonus is one idea.

Another idea is to encourage employers to create work rosters that allow for increased working hours in the health care and cleaning sectors. A third idea is reduce barriers for retirees to (temporarily) re-enter the workforce.

Just to clarify, Minister Karien van Gennip (Social Affairs & Employment) explains that research into possible solutions in the health care and education sectors has been ongoing since June 2022. In fact, staffing in the health care sector has been a topic of discussion since the days of Hugo de Jonge as Health Minister. In any case, this process is now being accelerated and expanded to meet the desire of Parliament to see a concrete plan in December 2022.

A Bonus for Full Time Workers

So, one proposal on the table is a financial reward for those working full time. But there are a number of issues and questions, which are yet to be addressed or answered.

How much will the bonus be? What is considered to be full time? (This with the fact in mind that the civil service considers 36 hours to be full time, but in most workplaces full time is a 40 hour working week). Would those already working full time be entitled to this bonus? And not insignificantly, who will pay for this bonus – the employer or the government?

There are judicial barriers too. The introduction of a full time bonus would go against current legislation. It would clash with the Wet Onderscheid Arbeidsduur, which does not permit differentiation based on working hours. A bonus would also be deemed to be discriminatory to women, who tend to work part time. And indirectly it would discriminate against men if the bonus was only awarded to those changing from part time to full time, as most men already work full time.

The College voor de Rechten van de Mens judged in 2021 that there would need to be a very good reason to permit the introduction of such a bonus. The College deemed that there was no case for it back then.

Would a Full Time Bonus Persuade Workers to Increase Their Working Hours?

The belief is that half a million Nederlanders could be enticed to work more hours if those extra hours paid financially.

The other side of the coin? As stated earlier, this idea has already been floated in the health care sector, where only 20% of staff work full time. The conclusion? A bonus on its own is not likely to make much of a difference.

Why? Because there’s more to working than money. (Although it is worth stating that the current energy and cost of living crisis may change the perspective of some and make a financial stimulus more attractive).

Another consideration: would a full time bonus only serve to exacerbate the part time working of women in the workforce? Men that are working close to full time hours may increase their hours to qualify and women reduce their hours to compensate.

The Bigger Picture

What about pleasure in your work? Attractive jobs? Autonomy? Flexibility? Work life balance? There is something in the Dutch psyche that reiterates that working purely for money isn’t a recipe for happiness. Someone is intrinsically motivated to work in a particular role, or they are not. Bear in mind that the Dutch culture has centred around typical Calvinistic behaviours for centuries- frugal, hard working, modest, sober and reserved. Money isn’t necessarily the driving factor for the average Dutch person.

I took a look at people’s reactions to the idea of a full time bonus on social media.

Child Care

For more people to work more hours, child care needs to be practically free. I remember a colleague twenty years ago telling me she basically worked to put the kids in child care. But in her case she enjoyed her job and the social interaction. And therein lies a huge issue.

On top of this, there is commonly a waiting list for child care facilities and increasing hours/days can be tricky. Perhaps, ironically, caused by part time working in the sector?

One parent asked what the point of having children is if they are going to be put in a child care facility for eight hours a day, five days a week.

Taxation

Many part time workers state that increasing their hours means very little difference to their pay packet at the end of the month. Some state that increasing their hours actually costs them money. The additional salary gets eaten up by taxation. So what is the point of working more for so little financial gain?

Benefits

Many benefits in the Netherlands are income means tested. Work more hours, income rises (in many cases on paper at least) and benefits decrease.

Family Life

One father clearly stated that he won’t be attracted by a bonus. He wants to continue playing a meaningful role in raising his children. And that is difficult if you only have a few hours in the weekend to do this.

A female twitterer commented that in order to get women working more hours, the issue of care roles needs to be addressed. In short, men need to take on their share of household and childcare tasks to take the burden away from women.

Burnout is already a big issue in the Netherlands and a lack of work life balance certainly contributes to this.

Other Suggestions to Tackle the Current Labour Markt Shortage

One person suggested the government looks more closely at the issues causing the current shortage. Part time working has been a part of Dutch life for a long time – why is this suddenly the problem? It isn’t the underlying reason for the current shortages. Good point.

The labour market has been significantly impacted by the pandemic. The number of deaths, long covid and mental health issues are playing a huge role in the health care and the education sectors. Immigration has been impeded. The expectations of workers has changed (the pandemic showed us the workplace can be more flexible). And many workers left low paying roles for better money and conditions. Which has left a gap. Lots more here on this if this is of interest.

Somebody else holds a mirror up for the politicians and suggests they reduce the thirteen weeks of recess down to five or six per year. Practice what you preach is the message perhaps.

Watch This Space

This is an ongoing debate. We will see in the coming months which proposals the Dutch government plans to put into action. But the question remains, can the government really change the ingrained culture of Dutch part time working with a financial bonus?

The post Can the Dutch Part Time Working Culture be Changed With Money? appeared first on Turning Dutch.