Unemployment and Job Seeking in the Netherlands
Information for a foreigner moving to the Netherlands to find work. With details on where to go, how to register for unemployment benefits and how to go about job seeking...
The UWV WERKbedrijf manage unemployment and job seekers in the Netherlands. There are WERK branches throughout the country.
- For the WERK website: Click here (in English)
Employment in the Netherlands: EU/EEA citizens
Citizens of the EU and EEA (European Economic Area), with the exception of Bulgaria and Romania, have the right to live and work in the Netherlands without a work permit, subject to having a work contract for the period of their stay. These citizens are also entitled to stay in the Netherlands for three months per year (calculated from the date of registration) in order to look for work.
EU/EEA citizens working in the Netherlands who hold a valid Dutch residence permit have the same rights as nationals with regard to pay, working conditions, access to housing, vocational training, social security and trade union membership and unemployment. Families and immediate dependants are entitled to join them and have similar rights.
Note: an EEA national staying longer than three months while looking for work needs a residence permit. This can be obtained from the Foreign Police (Vreemdelingenpolitie).
Contact the Foreign Police on the national enquiry number:
- Vreemdelingenpolitie
Tel: 0900 8844
Registering with the Foreign Police
Within eight days of arrival all EEA nationals must register with the Foreign Police.
- Job seekers without a work contract should take their passport to the Foreign Police Registration Office
- EEA nationals with a non-temporary work contract must show their passport, two passport photographs, the work contract and the relevant fee
- EEA nationals with a temporary work contract may need to renew the work permit. Other documents that may be required: the BSN number, a copy of the birth certificate and proof of a permanent address
The BSN number
The BSN (Burgerservicenummer) number (formerly a SoFI-number) is a unique, personal number issued to everyone registered in the Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie persoonsgegevens (GBA), or the Personal Records Database of a municipality. It is required when starting a job, opening a bank account, using the health care system, applying for benefits, buying a car and announcing a change of address.
Foreigners arriving in the Netherlands must register with the registration office (Dienst Burgerzaken) of the Gemeentelijke Basisadministratie persoonsgegevens (GBA). Within four weeks, a new resident will receive a letter containing registration details and the BSN number.
- For more information on how and where to get a BSN number from Denhaag.com: Click here
- For detailed information from the Burgerservicenummer website (in Dutch)
- Or call BSN/CSN hotline - Tel: 088 900 10 10
Note: Foreign residents who have previously been issued with a SoFI number need not change this to the BSN number - this will have happened automatically.
Employment in the Netherlands: Non-EU citizens
Non-EU nationals must have a confirmed position to get a work permit in the Netherlands. Only the employer can apply for the work permit. Non-EU nationals will have to present several documents:
- Passport
- Residence permit
- Identification card (or proof of registration with the Foreign Police)
- Proof of registration with the local municipality (Bevolkingsregister)
- Proof of employment from their employer
Registering as Unemployed
The UWV WERKbedrijf (employment services) helps people to find work or apply for unemployment benefits.
EU nationals are free to use the WERK services after completing entry formalities. This means having the police stamp "3-month EU Jobseeker" on their passport.
- For some information in English from WERK: Click here
Those who fit into one of the following categories may access WERK services free of charge:
- Dutch nationals
- EU nationals living or working in the Netherlands, and their spouses and partners (even if these spouses and partners are not EU nationals)
- Nationals from Liechtenstein, Norway and Iceland (EER) and Switzerland
- Non-EU nationals formerly in the possession of an employment-related residence permit, whose current unemployment is involuntary and who applied for an extension of their residence permit in time, as long as no final decisions were taken and no deportation measures were initiated
- Foreigners who hold a valid residence permit with the annotation "Arbeid vrij toegestaan. Een tewerkstellingsvergunning is niet vereist" (work permit not required)
- Non-EU nationals holding a valid asylum-related residence permit with the annotation "Arbeid is toegestaan indien de werkgever beschikt over een tewerkstellingsvergunning" (work permit required)
- Non-EU nationals holding a valid employment-related residence permit without the annotation "Arbeid vrij toegestaan. Een tewerkstellingsvergunning is niet vereist" (work permit not required), whose current unemployment is involuntary
Registration (registratie) means that the personal details of the unemployed person are entered into the CWI computer.
The WERK will ask for a valid ID (passport and residence permit).
As a general rule all those with a valid residence permit and work permit are covered by the Netherlands' social security system. The WERK will provide information on an individual's status and eligibility for unemployment benefits.
- To find a local branch of the WERK using a postal code or city: Click here (in Dutch)
Registration is possible online, however the service is only offered in Dutch.
- For online-registration information: Click here (in Dutch)
Job Hunting
Most people in the Netherlands find work either by word-of-mouth, through a contact such as a friend, partner or colleague, by networking and by sending unsolicited applications. There are also more conventional ways of finding work.
The WERK also provides intermediary services (bemiddeling), acting as liaison between prospective employers and job-seekers. WERK staff can help identify suitable jobs or check for vacancies all over the country, or mediate with prospective employers in the Netherlands.
- For information from WERK on finding a job in the Netherlands: Click here
EURES (European Employment Services)
Citizens of the EU or EEA can find details of jobs in the Netherlands at their local Government Employment Service through the EURES network. EURES is a partnership between all of the employment services in the EU/EEA, to support free movement of workers and as such provides a complete database of vacancies. Euroadvisers who administer the EURES system can help with the practical issues involved with employment through the EU.
In person or by phone
- Contact companies to enquire if there are any vacancies
- Contact professional bodies
- Check agencies dealing with work abroad
- Check the Dutch classified advertisements under Personnel Wanted (Personeel Gevraagd)
Newspapers, magazines and books
- Dutch newspapers - De Telegraaf, Algemeen Dagblad (AD) (and it's regional publications), de Volkskrant, NRC Handelsblad - generally advertise jobs on Saturdays
- Graduates can look in the directories Intermediair and Kompass
- International publications (such as The Economist, the International Herald Tribune) also run job advertisements
Websites for jobseekers in the Netherlands
CVs can be registered with a number of agencies and companies online. Or try an online job search at:
- Job Rapido (Note: the search fields are in Dutch but English-language search terms can be entered and the resulting jobs available are described in English. Enter the job title in English in the field "Wat" (what) and town or city location in the field "Waar" along with an acceptable distance radius from that location, "Straal")
- Monsterboard
- JobNews
- Vacaturebank
- Jobcenter
- Medweb (medical professions)
- Clickwork
- EnglishLanguageJobs: Europe-wide job search website for English-speakers
Temping agencies (Uitzendbureaus)
Temping jobs are common in the Netherlands. Many agencies can find work for non-Dutch speakers, with jobs advertised online and the following agencies databases of vacancies:
- Unique Multilingual Services
- Blue Lynx
- EnglishLanguageJobs
- Projob
- Kelly Services
- Adams' Multilingual Recruitment
- Werk.nl (in Dutch)