Most former Dutch self-employed workers find new jobs within three months

More than half of people leaving self-employment in the Netherlands find paid work within three months, and many move into a different sector or occupation, according to an analysis by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). The figures suggest that the decline in self-employment is mostly reshuffling workers across the labour market rather than pushing them into unemployment. [1]

By mid-2026, the number of people whose main job was self-employment had fallen by about 131,000 from its peak of nearly 1.3 million at the end of 2024. DNB says only 7% of former self-employed workers become unemployed, a proportion similar to previous years.

About a third move into permanent jobs or roles with the prospect of a permanent contract, while a similarly sized group find temporary or other flexible work. Some also become business owners with employees.

The shifts are not simply moves into salaried versions of the same work. Nearly half of former self-employed workers who find another job switch sector, often moving into health and social care, government and education, or trade, transport and hospitality. Almost 40% are in a different occupational group a quarter later.

DNB cautions that a change in recorded sector or occupation does not necessarily mean someone is doing entirely different work; some of the movement may reflect how jobs are classified before and after a transition.

The decline in self-employment has coincided with the Dutch tax authority resuming active checks on false self-employment from 1 January 2025. But DNB says its data do not record why people stop working for themselves, so they cannot establish whether tighter enforcement was the main cause. The bank does see relatively frequent movement between self-employment and employment in sectors where false self-employment is often debated, including healthcare, construction, facilities services and business services.

DNB says the analysis tracks where former self-employed workers go, but does not show how their income, productivity or working conditions change after the move.