The whole world is currently concerned about the COVID-19 crisis. Each country is using different measures to protect their residents from getting infected and no one wants to see their economy crumble.
It’s not easy to be an expat contractor in the Netherlands at the moment, as you face changing regulations. Information is not (immediately) available in your own language and working conditions are changing rapidly. With all of this going on, an umbrella company can help you figure out your best course of action.
If you employ contractors, you might have a candidate who was going to start working on one of your projects in the Netherlands. Because of the COVID-19 crisis, you have to keep a few things in mind.
For people travelling from outside of Europe to Europe, there is a total travel ban. This ban has been extended until May 15, 2020. As the regulations change so rapidly, it is possible that the ban may be extended again. Keep up to date via your umbrella company or the website of the Dutch government.
Another important piece of information to remember is that the opening hours of Dutch embassies abroad may vary a lot. Sometimes you only have one day in the week to ask your questions.
If you are in the Netherlands already and have questions about your stay, please note that all government organisations including the IND offer very limited services at their service desks at the moment.
Everyone is advised to stay at home and work from home as much as possible. This means a lot of projects are being cut or postponed. The labour market is changing during this crisis, so it’s good to know which sector is flourishing and in which sector they’re expecting a big decrease in turnover.
In the supermarket industry, for example, they need a lot of new people to handle and process consumer demand. Logistics is another sector that is flourishing right now, with people buying so much stuff online to keep themselves and their children occupied. Data and IT are also sectors where there is a big demand for new people.
A sector you might want to avoid right now is the commercial sector and jobs such as sales manager. The rate of new sales and customers is at a low at the moment, because a lot of businesses are out of work. The rate of unemployment is growing fast.