News item | 17-03-2025 | 10:46
Mayor’s vacancies appear to be difficult to fill in through shortage on the labor market. This is the conclusion of research commissioned by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in response to the falling number of applicants per vacancy. In the period 2016-2023 this number went from 30 to 18.
Judith Uitermark, Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations: “Mayors are the face of a municipality and play a crucial role in public administration. It is a unique way to be part of a community and to contribute to this. At the same time it is challenging and sets high demands. I therefore have great appreciation for all sitting and future mayors and I think it is important that the office remains attractive. Moreover, there are now few female mayors and it is good if women apply more often. I will therefore continue to actively commit myself to that. ”
Applicants Mayor’s vacancies
In the period between 2016 and 2023, the average number of applicants per mayor vacancy fell from 30 to 18. The Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations asked researchers from Leiden University and University of Amsterdam to investigate this falling trend. The research report: “Who still wants to become a mayor?” Gives a nuanced picture of the factors that influence the number of applicants for a vacancy. For example, it appears that the shortage on the labor market that is generally there is also largely of influence on mayor vacancies. In addition, the number of applicants was exceptionally high in 2016. In 2024, the number of applicants has risen again. On average, 21 candidates responded per vacancy in 2024 compared to 18 in 2023.
Attractiveness of the mayor’s office
Although the slight increase in the number of applicants is causing some reassurance, some mayor procedures have also stopped in recent years due to too few suitable candidates. This means that a municipality is delayed in the successful completion of the procedure to find a new mayor. That is why it is important that as many different candidates as possible present themselves. Keeping it attractive to apply for a mayor’s vacancy is accompanied by ensuring good legal position and support in, for example, expressions of aggression and intimidation. The researchers indicate that growing safety risks do not have a direct effect on the total number of applicants. At the same time, they note that this factor reduces the ambition in women, while that is the other way around in men. Judith Uitermark: “There are still fewer women than men mayor. In the coming period, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, together with the King’s Commissioners and the Dutch Society of Mayors, will be viewing which measures are specifically needed to keep the office attractive.