Dutch healthcare sector desperate to fill 130000 jobs

Vacancies in the Dutch healthcare sector are slated to keep rising, with around 130,000 jobs needing filling during 2018.

Figures from the Netherlands’ Employee Insurance Agency indicate there’s a serious shortage of applicants for jobs in the Dutch healthcare sector, with limited staff numbers affecting services slated to worsen during 2018. Hospitals, care homes, mental health facilities, nursing homes and addiction care centres are all struggling to fill an ever-increasing number of vacancies. Nursing demand is expected to soar over the next four years, as is the need for hearing care professionals, dental hygienists, opticians and optometrists. Childcare vacancies are also on the rise.

Dutch Hospitals Association spokesperson Willem de Boer told local media the shortages are now responsible for postponed operations, specialist department temporary closures and higher work pressures for staff attempting to operate normally in spite of the lack of manpower. One reason for the shortages, according to de Boer, is the Netherlands’ rapidly ageing population’s needs for specialist and intensive care. The same demographic is also responsible for the continuing shortfall in staff, as professionals aged 55 years and over make up at least 25 per cent of staff and will soon be retiring.

Suggestions from the Employee Insurance Agency include several long- and short-term solutions to alleviate the effects of the shortfall. One proposal suggests non-care related tasks could easily be undertaken by auxiliary service staff rather then having to be done by qualified professionals better employed doing their own specialised jobs. Another idea is scheduling adjustments, thus making more efficient use of available professional staff as well as offering more contracted hours per worker. Attracting expat healthcare professionals from overseas as well as training migrants and job seekers are other ideas.