Business owners in the Netherlands expect to hire more staff and invest more in their businesses in 2025, a new study has found.
The study, by Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KvK), the Economic Institute for Construction and Housing (EIB), the Dutch Organisation for Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (MKB-Nederland) and the Dutch Employers’ Organisation (VNO-NCW), found that business confidence in the Netherlands ‘remains slightly negative’ at present, with many business owners facing a shortage of labour.
Net increase in staff numbers
In general, business owners anticipate a net increase in staff numbers next year, however these expectations are lower than they were for the coming year.
Business owners in the culture, sports and recreation and real estate activities sectors expect their workforce to increase, while those in the business services and information and communications sectors are the most positive about bolstering their headcount.
On the other hand, mining and quarrying sectors expect a reduction in their labour force.
Higher investment
In terms of investment in their operations, entrepreneurs in eight sectors foresee higher investments in 2025 compared to 2024, with the real estate activities, mining and quarrying, and transportation and storage sectors showing the most positive expectations.
At the same time, sectors such as culture, sports and recreation, and retail trade anticipate reduced investments.
Business confidence
Business confidence at the start of Q4 2024 was still negative at -3.1, showing slight improvement from -3.4 in Q3. However, confidence remains lower than the historical average.
A significant concern for business owners remains the shortage of labour, with nearly 38% of entrepreneurs identifying this as their primary obstacle. Indeed, labour shortages have been the most frequently reported issue since Q3 2021, according to Statistics Netherlands.
More than a third of entrepreneurs report facing no significant obstacles to their operations, the data noted. Read more here.
