In the second quarter of 2022, the shortage on the labor market has increased to such an extent that all professions have a shortage of personnel. It reports that Institute for Employee Insurance (UWV) Thursday morning. While the number of job openings increased by 44 percent, the number of people on unemployment benefits fell by 31 percent. The shortage on the labor market was therefore twice as great as a year earlier.
In the Tension Indicator, which is published every quarter, the UWV calculates how great the labor shortage is in 92 different occupational groups. These are now all considered tight or very tight. While at the beginning of this year the tour guides, painters and metal painters, construction workers and drivers managed to escape staff shortages, the shortage has also reached these professions halfway through the year. The shortages were greatest in the second quarter among engineers, electricians, machine technicians, nurses and software developers.
The effect of the staff shortages on the Dutch economy is significant. More and more people are also faced with staff shortages. For example, the NS runs with fewer trains, there have been long queues at Schiphol for months and some companies have to close their doors. Important sectors, such as healthcare and education, are coming under increasing pressure due to persistent shortages of nurses and teachers.