Number of hours worked in temp jobs increased further

According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the total amount of hours worked in temp jobs increased by 2.5 percent in the third quarter relative to the second quarter of 2015. This increase is somewhat smaller than in the preceding quarter. The amount of hours worked in temp jobs has increased for two and a half years now.

Increase in long and short-term employment contracts

In the third quarter, the number of hours worked under short-term temporary employment contracts rose by 2.2 percent. The increase is the same as in the previous quarter, which was the largest increase in more than 4 years. Developments in short-term temp job hours are usually indicative of the rest of the labour market.

The number of long-term temporary contracts, e.g. secondment and pay-rolling, increased by 3.1 percent, versus 3.9 percent in the second quarter. Employers want to have more flexibility with respect to hiring and dismissing staff and more and more employers are inclined to offer long-term temp contracts instead of permanent contracts.

Labour market recovery continues

On Friday 13 November, CBS announced that the number of jobs and the number of job vacancies have grown in the third quarter. The number of jobs grew by 33 thousand on the second quarter. The amount of temp jobs rose notably. The number of job vacancies rose by one thousand to 132 thousand at the end of September. In the third quarter, unemployment was marginally lower than in the second quarter, notwithstanding a marginal rise in August and September.