Agency workers sometimes wait weeks for work without pay
The Netherlands Labour Inspectorate warns of a ‘waiting-room arrangement’ in which migrant workers bear most of the risks.
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Agency workers sometimes have to remain available for hours, days or even weeks without receiving pay. The Netherlands Labour Inspectorate describes this as a worrying arrangement that it encounters during inspections.
The Inspectorate published an analysis on Thursday containing at least fifteen real-life accounts. A recurring pattern emerges: companies want to be able to deploy staff quickly, while employment agencies keep more people on standby than there is work for at that moment.
In some cases, workers have to wait at their accommodation until they are called in. Others must report to the workplace every morning, after which it is decided who can actually work. It also happens that people have to remain reachable all day and may not travel far from where they are staying.
During this waiting period, they receive no pay, while the costs of housing, transport and living expenses continue. Migrant workers in particular can consequently become financially dependent on the employment agency or employer. According to the reports, debts can mount further when work, housing and transport are arranged through the same party.
The Inspectorate does not say that all employment agencies use this approach. The analysis is based on situations encountered by inspectors and investigators during inspections and identifies patterns; it is not a nationwide measurement of the scale of the problem.
According to the Labour Inspectorate, this arrangement shifts the risk of fluctuating demand for labour onto the worker. Hirers gain access to workers who can be deployed immediately, while workers do not know when they can start or how many hours they will ultimately work.
The findings come at a time when the government wants to regulate the agency sector further. A bill opened for online consultation on Thursday limits the deployment of an agency worker with the same hirer to 36 months. In addition, the Act on the Admission of the Provision of Workers (Wet toelating terbeschikkingstelling van arbeidskrachten) will be introduced from 2027; from 2028, the Labour Inspectorate must enforce it. These measures will not automatically address every waiting arrangement, but they are intended to curb abuses and unfair competition in the sector.
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One story, several perspectives
What is established
- The Labour Inspectorate describes situations in which agency workers must remain available without pay while costs continue.
- The Inspectorate identifies migrant workers as particularly vulnerable in these situations.
- The government is working on stricter rules for employment agencies and on the maximum length of an assignment with one hirer.
Left
Arguments From a left-wing perspective, the risks of insecure work should lie with companies and clients, not with workers who in practice must remain available. From this perspective, there is a need for stronger enforcement, pay for mandatory availability and greater protection for migrant workers.
Values Security of livelihood, worker protection and the balance of power in the labour market.
Consequences Without intervention, debts and dependency may increase, while employers who follow the rules are put at a disadvantage. Stricter rules may reduce flexibility, but make competition fairer.
Centre
Arguments The government should tackle abuses while leaving room for legitimate temporary work and peaks in demand. Within this perspective, clear rules, oversight and a transition period are more important than a complete ban on flexible deployment.
Values Legal certainty, practicability and a balance between protection and flexibility.
Consequences Targeted enforcement and admission requirements can limit abuses without blocking the entire agency sector. Unclear rules may instead lead to more legal disputes.
Right
Arguments Companies need flexibility to find staff quickly and cope with peaks in demand. According to this perspective, the government should primarily act against concrete exploitation and prevent rules from saddling reputable employment agencies and employers with additional costs.
Values Enterprise, flexibility and limited regulatory burdens.
Consequences Overly strict obligations may reduce jobs and employment opportunities or make work more expensive. From this viewpoint, targeted checks on abuse are preferable to broad new obligations.
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 article’s central point is confirmed by reporting on the Inspectorate’s analysis and by official information about the rules governing agency work. The scale of the problem is deliberately not presented as a nationwide statistic.
- confirmed The Labour Inspectorate published an analysis with at least fifteen real-life accounts on 29 October. — This is stated in RD/ANP’s reporting on the Inspectorate’s analysis. source
- confirmed Agency workers sometimes wait unpaid for hours, days or weeks and must remain available. — The examples and patterns are described by RD/ANP and Logimerce. source
- confirmed Migrant workers in particular face an increased risk of financial dependency. — This is mentioned in the reporting and is consistent with the official government description of abuses in the sector. source
- confirmed A bill limits deployment with the same hirer to 36 months. — The Dutch government states this period and the online consultation launched on 29 October. source
- confirmed The Wtta comes into force on 1 January 2027, with enforcement following from 1 January 2028. — This timetable appears on the official government page about the Wtta. source
Editor's note
It is certain that the Labour Inspectorate published an analysis with real-life accounts on 29 October and describes unpaid waiting as a recurring pattern. There is no nationwide estimate of the number of workers affected; the analysis mainly shows which situations inspectors encountered.Sources
- Inspectie: uitzendkrachten wachten soms lang en onbetaald op werk — Reformatorisch Dagblad / ANP
- Arbeidsinspectie signaleert: uitzendkrachten onbetaald beschikbaar gehouden — Logimerce
- Inzet uitzendkrachten wordt begrensd in tijd — Rijksoverheid
- Nieuwe wet voor aanpak misstanden bij uitzendbureaus en andere uitleners — Rijksoverheid
- Welke arbeidsvoorwaarden heb ik als uitzendkracht? — Rijksoverheid
More on this in Dutch media
- NRC — „uitzendkrachten arbeidsmigranten”
- NU.nl — „uitzendkrachten arbeidsmigranten”
- De Telegraaf — „uitzendkrachten arbeidsmigranten”