The Netherlands has long had a strong part-time culture in which far more women than men work limited hours. Recent research conducted by the Dutch Social and Cultural Planning Office (SCP) indicates that companies are actually contributing to the trend by offering women part-time jobs more frequently than full-time employment, due at least in part to employer assumptions that women would rather work limited hours to free up time for familial responsibilities. The issue is particularly marked in sectors that are often associated with women, such as healthcare, cleaning and childcare. Around half of all vacancies in female-dominated sectors, such as healthcare and childcare, are for part-time positions.
The differences between men and women when it comes to part-time work are striking. According to numbers reported by Statistics Nederlands (CBS) in 2024, around 65 percent of working women were employed in part-time positions. That number was far lower for men: just 18 percent.
Many women wish to work part-time, but employers often miss the mark when it comes to the reasons that women choose to do so. The study revealed that many women who prefer part-time jobs do so for reasons that have nothing to do with family demands. Many opt for part-time work because it allows them time to do things such as pursue formal courses of study or spend time focusing on personal interests.
On the other hand, more hours would be welcomed by many women working in part-time positions, but options are often restricted due to logistics. Daycare centres provide a good example of the dynamic. Part-time employees in many sectors often work on Tuesdays and Thursdays, increasing demand for child care on those days. Childcare centres, which mostly employ women, in turn, hire part-time employees to work on days when there’s more demand.
Women who work part-time in the cleaning, healthcare and childcare sectors often face structural challenges that discourage them from working longer hours, including low wages, limited development opportunities and difficult-to-navigate regulations regarding government benefits. Many fear that working increased hours will impact the benefits they receive and make it more difficult to make ends meet; but determining the impact of working increased hours on the benefits a family receives is often very difficult.
In addition, despite employers arguing they offer women part-time contracts so that they are available for things like childcare, female employees in sectors dominated by women often find that employers place demands on them that make taking care of familial responsibilities challenging. Cleaning companies, for example, often ask employees to work early in the morning or late at night, making it difficult for parents to get their children ready for school in the morning or put them to bed at night.
There has been a marked drop in the number of part-time workers looking for full-time options since 2016. While most current part-time employees appear to be satisfied with the arrangement, around 5 percent would prefer to work full-time but aren’t able to do so where they currently work. Back in 2016, that number was closer to 15 percent. The change is strongly linked to the tightness in the current labour market.
Younger workers appear to face similar challenges when it comes to hiring practices, although the situation appears to be shifting. Employers often extend flex contracts to younger workers, many of whom would prefer standard full-time permanent working arrangements – sentiments that are particularly strong among younger workers who have completed practical degrees. Young employees in the hospitality and cleaning sectors appear to be particularly impacted by the trend. The tightness of the labour market, however, has made it more likely for younger workers to be offered permanent contracts and has also led employers to transition employees to permanent positions more quickly than in the past.
Written by Lorre Luther