Hire in Netherlands
Access the Netherlands' highly educated, multilingual workforce — Europe's tech and logistics hub. Vectis handles CAO compliance, vakantiegeld, the two-year sick pay obligation, and UWV filings — onboard in 48 hours.
Quick Facts
Dutch Employment Law Guide
A practical overview of Dutch labour law — from the ketenregeling and vakantiegeld to the two-year sick pay obligation, UWV contributions, and mandatory CAO compliance.
Employment Contracts
- ✓Fixed-term (bepaalde tijd): max 3 contracts over 3 years; then indefinite applies (ketenregeling)
- ✓Probation: max 2 months for indefinite contracts; 1 month for fixed-term > 6 months
- ✓Collective labour agreements (CAO) are legally binding and sector-specific
- ✓Right to request flexible working (Wet flexibel werken) after 6 months of employment
- ✓Employment contract must be provided within 1 month of start date
Working Hours & Rest
- ✓Standard: 40h/week; legal maximum 12h/day, 60h/week, averaged 48h over 16 weeks
- ✓Rest: 11h between shifts; 36h continuous weekly rest
- ✓Overtime: not regulated at statutory level; governed by employment contract or CAO
- ✓Part-time work widely protected — right to increase/decrease hours under Wet flexibel werken
- ✓Night and shift work allowances commonly required by sector CAOs
Leave Entitlements
- ✓20 statutory vacation days (4× weekly hours) per year; most CAOs provide 25 days
- ✓11 national public holidays (not all mandatory days off — depends on CAO)
- ✓16 weeks maternity leave (Zwangerschapsverlof); WAZO benefit paid by UWV
- ✓9 weeks partner leave paid at 70% via UWV (Wet betaald ouderschapsverlof 2020)
- ✓26 weeks parental leave total; 9 weeks paid at 70% of daily wage (since 2022)
Wages & Vakantiegeld
- ✓WML (Wettelijk minimumloon): €13.27/hr for employees aged 21+ (2024); hourly since Jan 2024
- ✓Vakantiegeld (holiday allowance): mandatory 8% of annual gross salary, paid in May
- ✓Sector CAOs frequently set minimums well above WML
- ✓13th month bonus common in many CAOs — not statutory but widely expected
- ✓WKR (werkkostenregeling): tax-free expense budget of 1.92% of total payroll wage bill
Social Contributions
- ✓Employer contributions: ~20–25% covering AOW pension, ANW, WLZ, WIA, WW, and ZW
- ✓Two-year sick pay obligation: employer pays 70% of salary for up to 104 weeks
- ✓Differentiated WGA premium (re-integration costs) based on employer's own sickness history
- ✓Belastingdienst payroll tax filings (aangifte loonheffingen) submitted monthly
- ✓Pension: most sectors have mandatory participation in a sector pension fund (bedrijfstakpensioenfonds)
Termination
- ✓Dismissal requires UWV permission (economic/long-term illness) or court approval (other grounds)
- ✓Transition payment (transitievergoeding): 1/3 month per year of service from day 1
- ✓Notice: 1 month (< 5 years) to 4 months (15+ years); doubled for procedural non-compliance
- ✓Works council (OR) must be consulted on collective redundancies (25+ employees)
- ✓Mutual termination by settlement agreement (vaststellingsovereenkomst/VSO) is very common
How to Hire in the Netherlands with Vectis
From offer letter to first payroll — fully compliant with Dutch labour law.
Share the details
Role, salary, location, and start date. We identify the applicable CAO and confirm WML compliance.
We draft the contract
Dutch-law employment contract with ketenregeling tracking, probation period, and CAO references. Dutch and English versions available.
Belastingdienst & UWV registration
Loonheffingen registration, UWV employer number, pension fund enrollment, and WKR expense budget setup.
Monthly payroll & reporting
Monthly payroll with loonheffingen, vakantiegeld (8%) accrual, WKR tracking, and monthly Belastingdienst aangifte.
“The Netherlands was our first EU hire and the two-year sick pay obligation genuinely surprised us. Vectis explained every Dutch-specific rule upfront, drafted a compliant contract, and had our Amsterdam engineer onboarded in 48 hours.”
Public Holidays in the Netherlands
The Netherlands has 11 statutory public holidays. Not all are mandatory days off — the applicable CAO determines which must be observed. Vectis tracks all obligations automatically.
Netherlands Hiring FAQs
Common questions about employing staff in the Netherlands.
Ready to hire in the Netherlands?
Vectis is your Employer of Record in the Netherlands — managing CAO compliance, vakantiegeld, ketenregeling tracking, sick pay obligations, and all UWV and Belastingdienst filings.
Hire in the Netherlands compliantly — in 48 hours
No entity required. Onboard in 48 hours.