Workforce planning for staff shortages in the Netherlands

UWV identifies population ageing, part-time work and mismatches in the labour market as causes of staff shortages in the Netherlands. Retirement can reduce the available workforce. Working hours do not always match the hours a team needs, and people’s skills or preferences may differ from the requirements of available roles.^[1]

Check the situation for the occupation, region and work you need done. A national shortage does not establish why a particular vacancy remains open. Review the skills required, working arrangements and workload before choosing a response.

UWV groups responses into recruiting more broadly, organising work differently and retaining staff. Consider these together when deciding how to address a shortage.^[2]

Review which role requirements are essential and which skills can be developed. Discuss whether the current tasks and working arrangements need to change. Make time for training and for conversations about why employees stay or leave.

In a business, the workforce is the people doing its work. Workforce planning compares the available people, skills and capacity with what the organisation expects to need.

Keep this business meaning distinct from national labour-market measures. An employee headcount does not show how much time or which specialist skills are available for a particular piece of work.

Explain what the organisation needs to achieve and how that affects the work. Use that direction to identify the roles, knowledge and experience the team will need.

Keep the timeframe and assumptions visible. A plan for a seasonal change may cover a different period and type of work from a long-term change in the organisation.

Look at the roles, responsibilities and skills available. Identify the gap between that picture and the future need, including where a team lacks relevant knowledge or capacity.

Distinguish employee arrangements where they affect the plan, such as full-time, part-time, seasonal or fixed-term work. Use the definitions and arrangements that apply to your organisation rather than assuming one universal hours threshold.

Decide which needs can be met through development and where recruitment is required. Write clear role requirements before beginning the hiring process.

The talent acquisition guide covers the recruitment responsibilities. The learning culture guide explains the resources and support needed to develop skills in the existing workforce.

Assign the actions and agree how they relate to the work already in progress. Include the effort needed for recruitment, onboarding or training so the proposed change has practical support.

Discuss the plan with the people responsible for the roles and learning. Keep the employee's responsibilities understandable when work is reassigned or a new colleague joins.

Consider a fictional fintech infrastructure company expecting more Implementation work. The manager lists the work anticipated, the skills needed and the capacity already available. The question is whether the gap concerns people, specialist knowledge or time lost to another responsibility.

If an existing colleague could learn part of the role, include coaching time in the plan and identify who can provide it. If recruitment is needed, separate essential experience from skills the company can teach. Record when the additional capacity is needed and review that assumption as demand changes.

For an illustrative calculation, assume next week’s work needs 80 team hours and the relevant colleagues have 60 hours available after other commitments. The capacity gap is 20 hours (80 minus 60).

If those colleagues spend 4 of their available hours coaching a new hire, delivery capacity becomes 56 hours and the gap becomes 24 (80 minus 56). Include that coaching commitment before deciding the start plan. These figures are fictional planning inputs.

The fintech infrastructure page describes the wider people context. This example is a planning exercise, not evidence that one staffing approach suits every fintech company.

Review whether the actions address the original skills and capacity gaps. Update the plan when demand, responsibilities or the organisation's direction changes.

Use talent management to connect those needs with role expectations and development conversations. Keep the review tied to the work rather than relying on a headcount total alone.