Role of the municipality
There are more open vacancies than ever, while 382,000 job seekers in the Netherlands looking for suitable work. Every Dutch municipality has the task of guiding jobseekers – but also employers and workers – in their search for a job. The cabinet wants to solve the mismatch between supply and demand in the labor market. You read in this article everything about the added value of a personal approach in the search for work or suitable staff.
Regional counters, personal work plans, and a broader offer for retraining or upskilling. That is the way to the
tightness in the labor market
to solve. At least that is the
vision
from minister van Gennip (Social Affairs and Employment) and minister Schouten (Poverty Policy, Participation and Pensions). In a
brief
to the House of Representatives they state that better cooperation between different parties in the labour market is required. “If employers, workers or jobseekers come knocking with questions about work, they must be helped and not just be referred on. In these times we need each other badly. That is why it is so important that all parties involved work together in an integrated way to help people into work or to provide support to employers”, say Van Gennip and Schouten.
More attention to people's needs
To improve the service, the ministers propose setting up in all 35 labor market regions at least one regional desk (also digital) under the same name. It should be a place where employers, employees and jobseekers can go with questions about work. The UWV must ensure this in cooperation with the municipalities. Nevertheless, other desks can also remain open, for example for people seeking help closer to home.
Why is one central point of contact needed? At the moment not all parties receive the right help they need, because they may not be aware of the different schemes, may not know which agencies offer help, or do not receive the right services in time. According to the ministers, the system must become more accessible and simpler.
Personal work plan
The current system therefore needs to be overhauled so that all parties on the market receive the right assistance. A ‘personal work plan’ can bring improvement here. A personal work plan states which steps someone will take to find work and which services are involved. Think of training, support services, or healthcare.
A work plan is not only suitable for jobseekers, but also for employers and employees to find work or staff and the associated support needed for that. The current plans of the cabinet are partly based on the experiences with the Regional Mobility Teams (RMT’s) that help people who have lost their jobs. The teams also support employers, self-employed people and people who are distant from the labor market.
Training
When looking for a new job or to be able to progress at the current workplace, training also plays an important role. In september the cabinet announced it would invest 1.2 billion euros to strengthen the learning and development culture . The cabinet is currently working on a suitable and well-structured range of training programs, so that everyone can develop throughout their lives. The measures still need to be worked out in more detail. In 2023 the House of Representatives will be informed about the progress.
The future
The current proposal from ministers van Gennip and Schouten prevents people from having to wait (unnecessarily) a long time for the right services. With a single regional desk the needs of jobseekers – but also of employers and workers – are central to the municipality’s approach. It remains to be seen whether the announced measures will actually lead to an improvement in the labour market. Will unused labour potential actually be put to work this way? Will employers be able to fill vacancies with suitable staff? Time will tell whether the plans will have an effect.
