News item | 02-04-2026 | 2:00 PM
If sick employees cannot return to work within a year, from the start of the second year of illness they can only look for a place at another company. The government wants to provide small and medium-sized employers with clarity more quickly about being able to replace a sick employee. Minister Aartsen of Work and Participation has sent the bill to the House of Representatives.
Being ill for a long time or becoming incapacitated for work has a major impact. Initially, of course, on the employee. But an employer also faces problems if an employee is unable to work for a longer period of time. The employer then has the obligation to reintegrate the sick employee and partially continue to pay wages for at least 2 years. The employer must also keep the position of the sick employee available, so that he can only provide a temporary replacement. This makes small companies in particular less agile. And it is an obstacle for relatively many SME employers to offer employees a permanent contract.
Different employer
In the labor market package, the government and social partners have therefore agreed to focus reintegration in the second year of illness in SMEs as much as possible on the so-called second track. This means that someone starts working for another employer, without the possibility of returning to their own workplace. This becomes possible with the employee’s consent or with the permission of UWV.
Minister Aartsen: ‘That is good for the employer, because he knows more quickly whether he can hire someone new to get back to full strength. It is rather clear to the employee that the reintegration focuses on a job with a new employer.’
More suggestions
This is the second step that Minister Aartsen is taking to make the period of continued payment of wages in the event of illness more workable for employers. He recently sent a first bill to the Council of State for advice. This ensures that the advice of the company doctor becomes leading in the reintegration test by UWV after 2 years of illness. This gives employers more certainty about the obligations surrounding the period of continued payment of wages in the event of illness. The government will be developing more proposals in the coming period to make the period of continued payment of wages in the event of illness more feasible for employers, especially for SMEs.
