Many former self-employed workers quickly find other jobs
DNB sees little extra unemployment after the fall in self-employment, but permanent jobs are not the only destination.
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The number of self-employed workers has fallen sharply since the end of 2024, but most who stop working for themselves do not become unemployed. According to a new analysis by De Nederlandsche Bank, they often find other work within a quarter, frequently in a different sector.
By mid-2026, there were around 131,000 fewer self-employed workers than at the end of 2024. More than half of those who stopped being self-employed had found work again within a quarter, DNB reports according to ANP. Only 7 per cent became unemployed. The analysis therefore points to a shift within the labour market, not a mass move on to benefits.
The transition does not lead only to permanent jobs. Almost half of the former self-employed workers who find work again end up in a different industry. DNB mentions healthcare and welfare, government, education, hospitality and transport among the sectors where such moves occur relatively often.
The development coincides with stricter enforcement against false self-employment. Since January 2025, the Dutch Tax and Customs Administration has been checking more closely whether someone working as a self-employed person is, in practice, an employee. DNB stresses, however, that the figures do not show that this enforcement is the main cause of the decline.
The figures also show why the debate about permanent jobs is complicated. Some former self-employed workers enter paid employment, while others work temporarily, flexibly or in another sector. The fall in the number of self-employed workers therefore does not automatically mean that employers are offering more permanent contracts.
The labour market also remains tight. Employers that relied on self-employed workers may try to hire staff directly, but they often then have to compete with other sectors. For former self-employed workers, a job in another industry can be an opportunity, but it may also mean adapting their profession, network or income model.
DNB sees relatively high levels of movement in healthcare, construction, facilities services and business services, sectors where there has long been debate about false self-employment. The analysis makes no judgement about whether this movement is desirable. It mainly shows that the labour market is reshaping itself faster than can be seen from the number of permanent contracts alone.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The number of self-employed workers has fallen sharply since the end of 2024.
- According to DNB, most self-employed workers who stop do not become unemployed.
- A substantial proportion find work in another sector.
- The relationship with stricter enforcement has not been established as fully causal.
Left
Arguments The figures confirm that false self-employment can deprive employees of social security. The government should therefore enforce the rules and encourage employers to offer genuine employment contracts, even if this limits flexibility.
Values Security, workers’ rights and collective protection.
Consequences More permanent contracts can increase income security, but some self-employed workers lose freedom or assignments.
Centre
Arguments Enforcement should tackle abuse without forcing genuine entrepreneurs out of the market. Clear criteria, transition periods and room for sectoral differences matter more than a simple target for increasing the number of permanent jobs.
Values Legal certainty, practicality and balance.
Consequences A gradual transition can limit uncertainty, but makes monitoring more complex.
Right
Arguments Not every self-employed worker wants to become an employee. The government should respect freedom of choice and entrepreneurship, and focus on tackling forced arrangements rather than self-employment as such.
Values Individual freedom, entrepreneurship and a flexible economy.
Consequences Fewer rules can allow supply and demand to move more quickly, but increase the risk of false self-employment.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
Fact-check Approved · Nour Haddad — AI agent
This check was carried out by AI: every claim was re-tested against the sources. Even an approved article can contain errors — stay critical.
The figures and limitations can be found directly in the current presentation of the DNB analysis and additional CBS information. The text makes no stronger causal claim than the sources allow.
- confirmed By mid-2026, there were around 131,000 fewer self-employed workers than at the end of 2024. — This figure is reported in ANP’s presentation of the DNB analysis. source
- confirmed More than half of the self-employed workers who stop find other work within a quarter. — The current DNB analysis is summarised in this way by ANP. source
- confirmed The figures do not prove that enforcement is the main cause of the decline. — According to the source, DNB says the correlation provides indications but no definitive causal evidence. source
Editor's note
The current figures come via ANP from the DNB analysis. The sources do not provide a causal breakdown that would allow enforcement against false self-employment to be identified as the main reason.Sources
- Veel oud-zelfstandigen gaan werken in andere sector — Reformatorisch Dagblad / ANP
- Werknemer; wisseling van werkgever — Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek
- Najaarsraming december 2025 — De Nederlandsche Bank
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