The labour market is still tight, but the labour market tightness figure from the CBS does not tell the whole story. Ton Sluiter (HeadFirst Group) explains in an ANP podcast why recruitment feasibility and labour mobility are, in his view, more important indicators.
According to the CBS definition, labour market tightness has decreased somewhat. Nevertheless, the reality is more complex than such a figure suggests, explains Ton Sluiter, data manager at HeadFirst Group in a recent ANP podcast.
Comparing apples with pears
The job market tightness figure from the CBS measures the ratio between vacancies and unemployed people. Although this is an important and widely used barometer, Sluiter finds this indicator of limited value. “It is a bit like comparing apples with pears when you compare the number of unemployed people with vacant jobs. I think that more than ninety percent of vacancies are filled by people who are already employed or just entering the job market.”
According to Sluiter, it is therefore more meaningful to look at labour mobility. “People who move from job to job. You could monitor that much better.”
Large differences between sectors
Ton Sluiter has been the Data Manager at HeadFirst Group since early 2023. He prefers to talk about recruiting feasibility: the extent to which it is feasible to find and hire suitable candidates for a specific role. Sluiter sees clear differences in the data from the HeadFirst Group, where around 15,000 assignments are posted annually, between sectors when it comes to this mobility. “IT remains challenging, we receive relatively few candidates responding to an assignment,” he says.
In other sectors, such as HR, the picture is very different. “There we see that there has been a significant increase in the number of candidates responding to an assignment. It has almost gone from eight to fifteen.”
Soft skills gaining ground
A notable shift is the increasing demand for soft skills, even in traditionally technical roles. “You now see that more and more skills are being requested in the area of collaboration, presenting, communication, and stakeholder management,” says Sluiter. “Basically, everyone is available if the offer is good enough.”
Skills acquired outside of work, for example through volunteer work, are also gaining value. “If you are the chairperson of a volleyball club, that brings with it all kinds of skills that are applicable, such as acquisition skills.”
The over-55s: desired yet overlooked?
Although the labour participation of over-55s, especially women, has increased, this group remains vulnerable. “That group of full-time workers over 55 is becoming rare,” Sluiter knows. “Despite the tightness, the perception is that over-55s are somewhat less likely to be invited for job interviews.” The cause of this is difficult to determine: is it due to age or missing skills? “Of course, we can't ask employers that, as no employer will say it’s due to age.”
He advocates for a greater role for employers in continuing to educate older employees: “Not just for the tasks they need to perform, but also to ensure they remain relevant to the job market.”
Looking ahead, Sluiter sees that the tension in the job market seems to be easing slightly. “You do see that we still have more vacancies than unemployed people, but the gap is narrowing,” he says. “I don't want to talk about a slowdown, but you do see some hesitation in posting vacancies and assignments for freelancers,” he says. He points to economic uncertainties and a potential increase in import tariffs by the US.
Freelancers: cautious recovery
Enhanced scrutiny on pseudo self-employment by the Tax Office also plays a role in freelance assignments. “Everyone was waiting to see: how strict are these controls and what exactly is pseudo self-employment?” Although the first months of the year were cautious in this regard, Sluiter now sees a recovery: “We now see that the number of assignments for freelancers is increasing again.
The job market is still tight, but the figures don't tell the whole story. Sluiter advocates for a more nuanced approach: “We prefer to talk about recruitment feasibility, which says much more about the real situation than just the ratio between vacancies and unemployed people.”
The full conversation with Ton Sluiter can be listened to on Spotify.
Source: Labour mobility says more than tightness figure: ‘Everyone is available, if the offer is good enough’ – HRMorgen.nl
