Fewer Dutch Company Employees Changing Jobs
Fewer workers in the Netherlands are switching employers, according to new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). In the second quarter of 2025, just 3.8 percent of employees changed jobs, compared with 4.7 percent in the same quarter of 2022. That amounts to about 305,000 people starting a new job this past quarter, down from 358,000 three years earlier, when the labor market was at its tightest.
The slowdown is most visible among employees who only recently started work, as well as those in commercial, business, and logistics roles. Still, positions in sales and transport, including driving jobs, remain among the occupations with the highest turnover. CBS notes that 7.3 percent of workers who had been with their employer for less than a year changed jobs last quarter, a higher rate than for longer-tenured employees.
The trend reflects a broader sense of caution in the workforce. A spokesperson for AWVN, the Dutch employers’ association for HR and labor market issues, said a survey of 150 large firms shows employees are becoming more “settled” due to economic uncertainty, including trade tensions linked to U.S. President Donald Trump. Many workers who were considering a move in recent years have already found new positions, he added, leaving fewer actively seeking change.