With record revenues soaring past €45 billion and flex workers now making up nearly one-fifth of the Dutch workforce, the staffing industry has cemented its role as a powerhouse of the Netherlands' economic engine.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the total revenue of the Dutch staffing industry reached €45.6 billion, marking a 12.3% increase from 2021.
- The Dutch staffing sector contributed 4.2% to the national GDP in 2023, with a total market value of €47.1 billion.
- Temporary staffing agencies in the Netherlands generated €28.9 billion in payrolled hours revenue in Q4 2022.
- In 2023, the number of temporary workers in the Netherlands reached 850,000, representing 18.5% of the total workforce.
- Total hours worked by temp workers in Dutch staffing agencies totaled 1.15 billion hours in 2022.
- The flex workforce in the Netherlands, including temps, payroll, and self-employed, numbered 4.2 million in 2023.
- Number of Dutch staffing agencies active: 12,500 in 2023.
- Top staffing firm Randstad Netherlands revenue: €5.8 billion in 2022.
- Average number of employees per Dutch staffing agency: 45 in 2023.
- 35% of Dutch staffing revenue came from industrial sector in 2023.
- Office & administrative staffing accounted for 22.4% of total temp hours in 2022.
- Logistics & transport sector flex workers: 25% of total Dutch staffing in 2023.
- The Dutch staffing industry saw a 14.2% growth in temp hours during the post-COVID recovery in 2022.
- Digital matching platforms adoption rose to 45% among agencies in 2023.
- Demand for green jobs in staffing projected to grow 18% by 2025.
The Dutch staffing industry grew strongly, contributing significantly to GDP and flex employment.
Agency Performance
- Number of Dutch staffing agencies active: 12,500 in 2023.
- Top staffing firm Randstad Netherlands revenue: €5.8 billion in 2022.
- Average number of employees per Dutch staffing agency: 45 in 2023.
- Market leader Randstad's staffing market share: 18.2% in 2022.
- Total employment by top 50 Dutch agencies: 1.2 million FTEs in 2023.
- Profitability of small staffing agencies (<10 employees) averaged 3.1% in 2022.
- USG People (now part of Randstad) revenue: €1.9 billion in Netherlands 2022.
- Number of bankruptcies in Dutch staffing sector: 156 in 2023.
- Average client retention rate for Dutch agencies: 78.4% in 2022.
- ManpowerGroup Netherlands turnover: €1.4 billion in 2023.
- Digital adoption rate among Dutch staffing firms: 67% using AI screening in 2023.
- Average marketing spend per Dutch agency: €120,000 annually in 2022.
- Peak performers (top 10%) agencies had 25.3% gross margin in 2023.
- Number of new entrants in staffing market: 450 in 2022.
- Adecco Netherlands revenue: €950 million in 2023.
- Employee turnover rate in staffing agencies: 32.1% in 2022.
- Average training hours per recruiter: 28 hours/year in Dutch agencies 2023.
- Largest agency network coverage: 92% of Dutch municipalities in 2022.
- IT-focused agencies grew employment by 22% in 2023.
- Average billable utilization rate: 76.5% for Dutch agencies in 2022.
- Number of multi-branch agencies: 2,800 in Netherlands 2023.
- Top agencies' digital platform usage: 85% in 2023.
- Small agency survival rate post-COVID: 91.2% in 2022.
- Average revenue per recruiter: €450,000 in Dutch staffing 2023.
- Healthcare specialist agencies numbered 1,200 in 2022.
- Agency consolidation: 15 mergers in staffing sector 2023.
- Logistics agencies' average growth: 14.7% in 2022.
Agency Performance Interpretation
While giants like Randstad tower over the Dutch staffing landscape with billions in revenue, the true backbone of the industry is a vast and fiercely competitive army of 12,500 small agencies, most just scrapping by with razor-thin margins and a handful of employees, proving it’s a market where scale brings fortune, but survival still requires grit.
Employment Figures
- In 2023, the number of temporary workers in the Netherlands reached 850,000, representing 18.5% of the total workforce.
- Total hours worked by temp workers in Dutch staffing agencies totaled 1.15 billion hours in 2022.
- The flex workforce in the Netherlands, including temps, payroll, and self-employed, numbered 4.2 million in 2023.
- Female participation in Dutch temp staffing was 52.3% in Q4 2023.
- Average duration of temp assignments in Netherlands was 12.4 weeks in 2022.
- 28.7% of Dutch temp workers were employed in the industrial sector in 2023.
- Youth (under 25) made up 22.1% of the Dutch staffing workforce in 2022.
- Total payroll workers managed by Dutch agencies numbered 320,000 in 2023.
- Immigrants comprised 19.4% of temp staff in the Netherlands in Q3 2023.
- Average hourly wage for Dutch temp workers was €15.67 in 2022.
- 15.2% of Dutch workforce had a temp agency contract at peak in 2023.
- Long-term temp contracts (over 1 year) accounted for 34.5% of total in 2022.
- IT temp workers in Netherlands totaled 45,000 in 2023.
- Temp agency employment growth was 4.8% YoY in manufacturing sector 2023.
- Over-50s represented 14.7% of Dutch staffing workforce in 2022.
- Total self-employed via platforms in flex market: 1.1 million in 2023.
- Healthcare temp staff numbered 120,000 in Netherlands Q2 2023.
- Logistics temp workers peaked at 210,000 in 2022.
- Transition rate from temp to permanent employment was 25.6% in 2023.
- Construction flex workers totaled 98,000 in Netherlands 2023.
- Office temp staff employment declined by 3.2% in 2022.
- Average age of Dutch temp workers was 35.2 years in 2023.
- Highly educated temps (HBO+) made up 18.9% of workforce in 2022.
- Total active temp contracts daily average: 750,000 in 2023.
- Regional distribution: Randstad area had 62% of temp workers in 2022.
- Temp worker absenteeism rate in Netherlands was 4.1% in 2023.
- Finance sector temp staff numbered 28,000 in Q1 2023.
- Part-time temp workers comprised 41.3% of total in 2022.
- Total temp-to-perm conversions: 145,000 in Netherlands 2023.
Employment Figures Interpretation
The Dutch workforce is now a nimble, ever-shifting mosaic where nearly one in five workers is a temp, proving that flexibility is no longer a perk but the very foundation of the modern economy.
Market Size and Revenue
- In 2022, the total revenue of the Dutch staffing industry reached €45.6 billion, marking a 12.3% increase from 2021.
- The Dutch staffing sector contributed 4.2% to the national GDP in 2023, with a total market value of €47.1 billion.
- Temporary staffing agencies in the Netherlands generated €28.9 billion in payrolled hours revenue in Q4 2022.
- The overall flex workforce market in the Netherlands was valued at €52.3 billion in 2023, including temp agency and self-employed.
- Staffing industry gross margin averaged 21.5% in the Netherlands for 2022, up from 20.1% in 2021.
- Dutch temp staffing turnover grew by 15.8% year-over-year in the first half of 2023.
- The market share of the top 5 staffing firms in the Netherlands was 42.7% of total industry revenue in 2022.
- Total invoiced hours by Dutch staffing agencies hit 1.2 billion in 2022.
- Payroll expenditure in the Dutch staffing sector amounted to €36.4 billion in 2023.
- The Netherlands staffing market expanded by 8.9% in real terms during 2022 after adjusting for inflation.
- Revenue per staffed hour in Dutch temp agencies averaged €28.45 in Q3 2023.
- The Dutch flex market revenue forecast for 2024 is projected at €50.2 billion.
- Staffing industry net profit margin in the Netherlands stood at 5.2% in 2022.
- Total assets of Dutch staffing companies reached €12.7 billion in 2023.
- Average annual revenue growth rate of Dutch staffing firms was 11.4% from 2019-2023.
- In 2023, the Dutch staffing industry's EBITDA margin was 9.8%.
- Market volume for IT staffing in the Netherlands was €4.1 billion in 2022.
- Industrial staffing segment revenue in Netherlands grew to €9.2 billion in 2023.
- Office staffing market size in the Netherlands reached €6.7 billion in Q2 2023.
- Total staffing agency contracts in Netherlands numbered 1.8 million in 2022.
- Dutch staffing export revenue (secondment abroad) was €1.9 billion in 2023.
- Pay-rolling segment of Dutch staffing market valued at €7.5 billion in 2022.
- Average staffing firm revenue in Netherlands was €4.2 million per company in 2023.
- The Netherlands held 12.5% of the European staffing market share in 2022.
- Staffing industry R&D investment in Netherlands totaled €150 million in 2023.
- Total equity capital in Dutch staffing firms was €8.3 billion at end of 2022.
- Logistics staffing revenue in Netherlands amounted to €5.8 billion in 2023.
- Healthcare temp staffing market size was €3.4 billion in Q1 2023.
- Construction staffing segment generated €4.9 billion in revenue in 2022.
- Dutch staffing market CAGR from 2018-2023 was 7.2%.
Market Size and Revenue Interpretation
While one might jest that we're merely trading coffee for contracts, the serious truth is that the Dutch staffing industry, with its €52.3 billion flex market and 1.2 billion invoiced hours, has become a formidable and finely-tuned engine, not just fueling 4.2% of the nation's GDP but fundamentally greasing the wheels of the entire economy.
Sectoral Distribution
- 35% of Dutch staffing revenue came from industrial sector in 2023.
- Office & administrative staffing accounted for 22.4% of total temp hours in 2022.
- Logistics & transport sector flex workers: 25% of total Dutch staffing in 2023.
- IT & telecom staffing share: 9.8% of market revenue in 2022.
- Healthcare staffing represented 12.1% of total flex employment in 2023.
- Construction & building sector: 11.5% of Dutch temp hours in 2022.
- Manufacturing/industrial: 28.2% of staffing agency revenue in Q4 2023.
- Finance & insurance flex share: 4.7% in Netherlands 2022.
- Retail & wholesale staffing: 8.3% of total market in 2023.
- Education sector temp staffing: 3.9% share in 2022.
- Agriculture & food processing: 6.2% of flex workforce in 2023.
- Public administration staffing share: 2.1% in Dutch market 2022.
- Engineering & technical: 10.4% of revenue in 2023.
- Hospitality & tourism temps: 5.6% during peak season 2022.
- Energy & utilities flex share: 1.8% in 2023.
- Media & communication staffing: 2.3% of total in 2022.
- Automotive manufacturing temps: 7.1% within industrial in 2023.
- Chemical industry staffing share: 4.2% in 2022.
- Telecom specialists: 3.5% growth sector share in 2023.
- Legal services temp staffing: 1.2% of office segment 2022.
- Pharmaceutical flex workers: 2.8% in healthcare staffing 2023.
- Environmental services: 1.5% share in construction flex 2022.
- Real estate temp staffing: 0.9% of total market 2023.
- Transportation subsector: 14.3% within logistics in 2022.
- Warehousing flex share: 10.7% in logistics 2023.
- Software development: 6.2% of IT staffing in 2022.
- Nursing temps: 45% of healthcare staffing in 2023.
- Mechanical engineering: 8.9% in technical sector 2022.
- Electrical installation temps: 5.4% construction share 2023.
- Food production flex: 9.1% agriculture total 2022.
Sectoral Distribution Interpretation
While the industrial sector flexes its muscles as the Dutch staffing kingpin, the true heartbeat of the economy reveals itself in the quiet dominance of nurses and warehouse workers, proving that the backbone of the workforce is built on both blue collars and caring hands.
Trends and Forecasts
- The Dutch staffing industry saw a 14.2% growth in temp hours during the post-COVID recovery in 2022.
- Digital matching platforms adoption rose to 45% among agencies in 2023.
- Demand for green jobs in staffing projected to grow 18% by 2025.
- Gig economy platform workers expected to reach 1.5 million by 2027.
- AI-driven recruitment reduced time-to-hire by 35% in 2023 pilots.
- Remote work flex assignments increased 22% YoY in office sector 2023.
- Skilled shortage in IT staffing: 25,000 vacancies unfilled in 2022.
- Zero-hour contracts declined by 12% due to new regulations in 2023.
- Upskilling programs enrollment up 40% in staffing workforce 2023.
- Sustainability reporting mandatory for agencies over €50M revenue from 2024.
- Cross-border staffing grew 9.8% with EU mobility in 2023.
- Hybrid work models boosted office flex demand by 15% in 2023.
- Inflation-adjusted wage growth for temps: 4.1% in 2022.
- Diversity hiring targets met by 62% of large agencies in 2023.
- EV transition created 8,000 new flex jobs in automotive 2023.
- Platform economy regulations expected to impact 20% of flex market by 2025.
- Mental health support in staffing up 28% post-pandemic 2023.
- Robotics automation reduced low-skilled industrial temps by 7% in 2022.
- Female leadership in agencies rose to 31% in 2023.
- E-commerce boom sustained 12% logistics staffing growth into 2024 forecast.
- Pension accrual for temps improved coverage to 55% in 2023.
- Cybersecurity staffing demand up 32% YoY in 2023.
- Aging workforce: 20% increase in senior flex roles by 2025 projection.
- Blockchain for payroll verification trialed by 15% agencies 2023.
- Renewable energy flex jobs forecasted at 15,000 new positions 2024.
- Minimum wage hikes impacted 40% of low-wage temp segments in 2023.
Trends and Forecasts Interpretation
Even after the robots took some jobs and AI sped up hiring, the Dutch staffing industry—fueled by green ambitions, digital platforms, and a quest for better work—has become a surprisingly agile, regulated, and increasingly human-centric ecosystem where everyone, from gig workers to pension-accruing temps, is trying to code, commute, and contract their way into the future.
Sources & References
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