Opening a ‘can of migrant workers’ is in any case not the way to solve a major staff shortage. Yet employers often think in terms of such short-term solutions, labor sociologist Fabian Dekker notices. “The quick fix, we love that in the Netherlands. While we have to tinker with the system – regulations, standards, employment conditions.”
Dekker is affiliated with the Rotterdam research agency SEOR and has been researching the Dutch labor market for fifteen years. Never before in his years as a researcher was the labor market so tight. Opposite there are 105 vacancies for every hundred unemployed. This tension in the labor market is becoming increasingly visible in everyday life. Childcare centers that have to close for a day, trains that don’t run, newspapers that are not delivered, or, the most recent example: long queues at Schiphol.
Schiphol director Benschop wants to limit the number of flights if there are too few staff
Last weekends at the airport there was great chaos due to the shortage of security guards and baggage handlers. Two weeks ago, KLM’s baggage handlers also decided to go on a ‘wild’ strike, out of dissatisfaction with what, in their view, were poor working conditions and low wages. But even without those strikes, the staff shortage is palpable – there will probably be long queues at the airport again this weekend.
The staff shortages are easy to explain, says Dekker. “We are ageing. So there is less staff.” At the same time, employers have long done too little to keep the work, especially physically demanding work such as that of baggage handlers or newspaper deliverers, attractive. Look at wages, which have lagged behind economic growth in recent years. Employers kept wage costs low, says Dekker. Or look at employment conditions: “We care more and more in the Netherlands. Informal care, caring for children or sick relatives. An organization that makes it easier for employees to combine that has a real advantage.” Or about the quality of work: “We have neglected that. The workload increased and autonomy decreased.”
Is what happens at Schiphol the foreshore for other employers?
“I think so. The bad thing is that it mainly happens in the public and semi-public sector, in education, care and the police. There are significant shortages there, while as a society we cannot do without.”
You would say: raise wages and employers will find staff.
“Wages are going up a bit now, and that’s certainly a good thing. But the discussion about one or two percent more wages is margin work. It should be about more fundamental matters, for example raising the statutory minimum wage, social security at the base of the labor market. Ultimately, there is also a limit to how far wages can be raised. Then labor becomes too expensive and employers price themselves out of the market. It’s just unclear where exactly that point is. The competitive advantage is how people-friendly an organization is, whether personnel have autonomy, or whether work and care can be easily combined.”
According to Dekker, the race to the bottom does not only have adverse consequences for employees. “If labor is cheap, there are hardly any technological innovations. Why would you if you can compete as an employer by cutting wages.” According to Dekker, the Netherlands is now lagging behind in the field of automation, even though that could help solve the staff shortage.
A lot is already possible, Dekker sees. “The healthcare sector is a good example. There are robots that can perform operations, lifting arms.” Then the question arises whether you want to remove people from such work. Another fundamental issue that, according to Dekker, should be addressed. “It is a choice that we as a society have to make.”
Another fundamental issue. “The demand for a certain service level is high in the Netherlands. Impossibly high, perhaps. Employers should be honest about that. Perhaps as a company you have to start communicating: only a maximum number of people can pass through that terminal on a day. Or: for this price, the newspaper cannot be delivered every morning before eight in the morning.”
In the meantime, employers are now faced with a shortage. What else can they do?
“Then you really end up with what is called the untapped labor potential, a group of 1.2 million people. This group includes ‘unutilized part-timers’, people who would like to work more hours. But also a huge proportion of long-term and short-term job seekers, some of whom are people with an occupational disability. There are also people over 55, or people with a migration background. It is easily half a million people, not counting those who are in education. They could get started with some support. I find that really bizarre.”
Why isn’t that happening?
“An employer must be prepared to guide them, to invest in them. It may take three to four months. It is a fundamental choice: do you opt for a quick solution, or for a sustainable one? Companies generally find that too much hassle. Not all companies, by the way, I don’t want to lump them together.”
Prejudice also plays a role. Dekker talks about research in the port of Rotterdam. There is a great demand for technically trained MBO students. “We asked employers whether they are willing to hire jobseekers over the age of 55, people with an occupational disability or on social assistance in the short term. Then you see a gigantic reticence. About half said: I just don’t know yet. I rest my case.†
Do they have a point, is it hassle?
“It can sometimes be a hassle, especially for small companies. For people with disabilities you sometimes have to go through all kinds of counters.”
And why is attracting labor migrants not a good idea?
“You bring social problems into your home. How and where do you house those people? You also want to find sustainable, well-paid work for them. How do you do that?”
A version of this article also appeared in the newspaper of May 7, 2022