Third of Dutch workers find their jobs meaningless, study finds
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By Simone Jacobs
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A study has revealed that a quarter of workers in the Netherlands between the ages of 30 and 45 feel they are overworked, while one in three believe the work they do is meaningless.
Dutch job satisfaction low among workers
In the annual State of Working Netherlands by HR consultancy Realise, of the 1.100 employees surveyed, a quarter of workers aged 30 to 45 stated that they have too much work to do in a short time. This was a problem that occurred often for one in 10 workers.
Workers aged 30 to 45 in particular complained the most about their jobs. 25 percent said that they did not think their work matters, and over 30 percent went a step further, believing what they do is meaningless.
With such low job satisfaction, it is unsurprising that two in three workers surveyed said that they have considered looking for another job in the past year. “In a labour market that is still tight, and where work is changing rapidly, attracting employees is only half the challenge,” Realise director Marijke van Sluisveld told De Telegraaf. “It is at least as important to ensure that they want to stay.”
Employees in the Netherlands don’t feel supported
While the “content of the work” was the most common reason for switching jobs in the Netherlands, a lack of recognition and appreciation, as well as business processes, were other popular motivations. The salary was only the fifth most common reason for leaving a job for another.
“The generation that keeps companies running feels the least supported by the organisation,” said van Sluisveld, something which employers should take into consideration. The research shows that employees will put up with a lot of work pressure as long as there is a balance with a good atmosphere and leadership.
On the bright side, connections with colleagues were mostly positive, with over 80 percent feeling connected to their fellow workers and 84 percent feeling accepted. However, fewer than 50 percent thought their managers set a good example at work.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training.Read more