The Brabant economy is running at full speed. Since the corona crisis has ended, jobs have been up for grabs everywhere and the number of benefits continues to fall. The other side of the coin: several sectors are very short of people.
“Will you be my new colleague?” How many cars and trucks are driving around with this cry for help? There are 3,500 vacancies in the ICT sector alone. Various catering entrepreneurs are also having their hands in their hair. Spread over the province, for example, they are looking for more than 320 cooks, the benefits agency UWV reports.
Increasing shortage
In April, almost 27,000 unemployment benefits were paid in North Brabant, about a third less than last year. You would think that this would have solved the problem, but there is therefore an increasing shortage in the ICT labor market in particular.
In our province it is mainly felt in the northeast and (long live Brainport) the southeast. The demand for staff is much greater there than the supply. At the end of last year, there were 1,400 vacancies for ICT professions in Southeast Brabant alone.
Elsewhere in Brabant, there are pressures in other sectors. For example, transport and logistics are a concern in Central and West Brabant. They are eager for candidates for technical professions in the southeast, northeast and west of the province. Construction workers, electricians and metal workers, all hard to come by.
‘Catching up after corona’
Major catalyst for staff shortages: the recovery after the corona period. “You see this in the catering industry, for example,” says Milou Audenaerd, labor market advisor at the UWV. “The catch-up was made in January in particular. In addition, additional workers are needed at this time of year due to seasonality. People would like to go out on the terraces again.”
According to the UWV, companies really don’t sit still and do everything they can to fill vacancies. There is ‘even’ recruiting abroad. Because attempts are not always successful, the benefits agency would like to lend a hand. By pointing out companies to give talents within or outside the organization the space to develop.
“But you can also take a critical look at your own organization,” adds Audenaerd. “By organizing the work differently, it is often possible to work more efficiently. As a result, fewer or different personnel is sometimes needed. Technology can also take work off your hands. In addition, it can be checked whether employees want and are able to work more hours.”
‘Front door open, back door closed’
“And of course it is important to retain your own staff. You should try to open the front door and keep the back door closed at the same time, in order to remain attractive as an employer”, advises Audenaerd.
Giving a bonus or a salary increase can also turn out well, although not every company is equally fortunate. “What we also do ourselves”, reports a colleague of Audenaerd, “is organizing drop-in days together with Koninklijke Horeca Nederland.
They must then be accessible. This opens the door for, for example, the elderly instead of young people to find a job in the dishwashing area.”