New figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) have revealed that there is an increasing number of couples in the Netherlands with both partners working part time. The rise in popularity of this working model is due to increasing wages and higher taxes on middle incomes.
In 2024, there was a total of 419.000 couples in the Netherlands that had both partners working part-time jobs. This is almost double the 229.000 couples who were working this way in 2014. Also noteworthy during this same period is that the number of households with just one working partner fell by around 25 percent to 778.000.
According to AD, the rise in wages has a part to play in this as higher salaries make roles with fewer working hours more attractive. Employers’ association VNO-NCW believes that the higher tax burden for workers with middle incomes is also a factor, where working more hours means that their net income is actually lower.
For years, the Netherlands has had the one-and-a-half earner model where one partner works full time and the other works part time. However, these new figures show that this pattern is changing to a more equal model. “That is good for the economic independence of women,” said labour economist Ronald Dekker. “That is good for the division of care responsibilities in the domestic sphere between men and women. So on balance you could also see that as very positive."
Another possible reason for this gender-equal distribution of part-time work could be the introduction of two months of paid parental leave in 2022. From research in other countries such as Finland and Sweden, this type of policy change sees fathers become more involved in childcare and domestic labour, possibly encouraging more part-time work.
The Netherlands has more residents working part time than any other country in Europe. Dutch trade union FNV thinks that this is a good thing despite the worker shortage. "Working one day less is good for employees, employers and society. You have more time and it leads to more energy and productivity,” argued FNV on its website. “As contradictory as it may sound, a four-day working week can provide more hours of work."
However, employer organisations are worried that more employees working part time could spell trouble for the economy. “Promising everyone a four-day working week in the collective labor agreement carries the risk that people who currently work part time will want to do so in the future. And in total, even less work will be done,” said VNO-NCW. “The Dutch labour market cannot cope with that, as shown by numerous studies."
Paul de Beer, professor of labour relations at the University of Amsterdam doesn’t agree that part-time work would be bad for the economy. "Because we have been working part-time in the Netherlands for a long time, and we are one of the most prosperous countries in the world. So that has apparently not stood in the way of that economic success."
Dekker agrees that working part time has had a positive effect. "It has done us a lot of good. We have a relatively calm labour market. And that means that people generally have a good work-life balance in this country. That is excellent for broad prosperity."