This Saturday morning, pens, key rings and notebooks, together with chocolate bars, brownies or pieces of cake, will be displayed on stalls in the atrium of The Base office building at Schiphol. Fifty companies today are pulling out all the stops to attract new employees.
There is an interactive offer: via a game you can control a bus over the large area of Schiphol, and VR glasses show what a day at cleaning company Raggers looks like. Money is also thrown into the fray: by leaving your contact details with cleaning company Asito you have a chance to win fifty euros. Company caterer Eurest even promises a bonus of five hundred euros when you join the company.
A partnership of Schiphol Aviation Community, Royal Schiphol Group and the UWV, among others, organized a job fair at the airport on Saturday for the second time. The market must contribute to reducing the staff shortages, which have resulted in long queues and canceled flights in recent weeks. Extra bait: since the social agreement that Schiphol concluded with the trade unions, employees can count on a summer bonus of EUR 5.25 gross per hour.
The first edition of the job market, at the beginning of April, was visited by three hundred job seekers. With fifteen hundred registrations, the interest is now much greater. The atrium is full of job market visitors of all ages and backgrounds.
Holiday work or job after study
Student Emi Lentz (22), who is completing her master’s degree in business information management, is looking for holiday work or a job after her studies on the job market. She prefers to do something with a combination of logistics, data and marketing. The recent stories about the long queues and the staff shortage at the airport motivate her to look for a job at Schiphol: “I find it a challenge to solve something that does not go well, such as the queues. My study business administration was also very solution-oriented. In addition, you can always use data to optimize the customer experience. It can always be better.”
There is a positive atmosphere and many people are interested
Dick Benschop director Schiphol
Still, the job market is not very up-to-date: companies are mainly looking for people who work with their hands, such as baggage handlers, drivers, cleaners and catering employees. This is also noticed by Rob Thomasse (61), who is looking for a managerial position. The former KLM employee prefers to do this at Schiphol and was also present at the previous job market.
“There are many jobs, but the majority are operational. I don’t want to drag suitcases or drive a forklift,” says Thomasse. “And many jobs are not for my age. I rely on my seniority as a manager, but many recruiters are looking for a jack-of-all-trades who can do everything.” Today he has already spoken to four companies, one of which has an interesting position as a store manager. “That recruiter very cleverly took me straight to an application room. And maybe I’ll come across something else this afternoon.”
Biggest staff shortage
The airport has a total of hundreds of functions to fulfill, says Francien David, director of the Schiphol Aviation Community. With more than five hundred vacancies, security is facing the largest staff shortage. According to operational manager Marco den Haan, G4S, which checks hand and hold luggage, is looking for one hundred to one hundred and fifty new employees. Work experience in the security industry is helpful, but not required. “We offer a one-year training, in collaboration with ROC Hoofddorp,” says den Haan. “That consists of working and learning. After a few weeks of theory you can already go on the floor under supervision.”
However, in many cases it is not possible to start directly at Schiphol. This is because everyone who works behind customs requires a Declaration of No Objection (VGB). That statement requires a security investigation by the AIVD, which lasts a maximum of eight weeks.
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In addition, you must have lived in the Netherlands for eight consecutive years. That limits the possibilities for Ukrainian Olena Rekhta (40), who fled to the Netherlands a month ago. The former accountant would like to work in a shop or in the catering industry, but always comes across the VGB during the job market.
Ronald Dankers, recruiter at Capi’s electronics stores at the airport, also finds the VGB a complicating factor. “I understand that it is necessary for safety, but it takes a long time before someone can start, which increases the pressure on your current workforce. And you run the risk that new employees do not want to wait for weeks and start working elsewhere.” Capi hopes to fill twenty vacancies at Schiphol. By mid-afternoon, five job interviews have already been scheduled.
Aviapartner, which offers ground handling services, is still looking for platform and baggage employees. “Not the most popular position,” says recruiter Sanne van Ancum. “But our new collective labor agreement and the summer allowance make work more attractive.” Aviapartner organizes weekly selection evenings for interested parties, and offers contracts in all forms to build up a permanent core of employees.
Start recruiting early
Competitor Swissport also sees that contracts for an indefinite period help recruit baggage handlers. Stacks of printed company benefits are spread out on the booth table. “We started organizing recruitment campaigns early on,” says Michiel van Dijl. “We still have about thirty vacancies for baggage handlers, but no exciting shortages. Security needs this job market more.”
Dick Benschop, director of Schiphol, is pleased that so many companies are present, he says after a tour of the atrium. “There is a positive atmosphere and many people are interested. This offers many opportunities for the summer and the coming year.” Will the job market come in time to manage the expected summer crowds? “We have no alternative. We try to get as far as possible.”