Netherlands: Employee Rights/ Labour Relations

Wanneer een werkgever geld leent aan een werknemer, lijkt dit een interne aangelegenheid. Maar wanneer kwalificeert zo'n lening als consumentenkrediet, en welke verplichtingen gelden er dan voor de werkgever? Het Hof Den Haag heeft recent uitspraak gedaan over een werkgever die de restschuld van een personeelslening probeerde te innen, met verrassende gevolgen.

The Dutch Parliament has approved sweeping reforms to employment law that will fundamentally reshape how companies use flexible workers, including on-call staff, temporary contracts, and agency workers. With implementation set for January 2028, these changes aim to provide greater income and working hour security for the 30% of Dutch employees currently working under flexible arrangements—the highest rate in Europe. Employers relying on flexible staffing models face significant operational and financi

The Netherlands has introduced a new legal presumption of employment for workers earning below EUR 38 per hour, fundamentally shifting the burden of proof in disputes over employment classification. While the substantive criteria for determining employment relationships remain unchanged, clients must now demonstrate that low-paid workers are genuinely self-employed rather than employees.

The Dutch labour market in 2026 demands strategic coordination of immigration, payroll, tax, and social security matters for international recruitment. With updated salary thresholds for highly skilled migrants, evolving expat tax ruling caps, and persistent housing challenges, employers must align HR, legal, and tax functions early to avoid start-date delays and compliance risks while accessing global talent pools.

On 12 May 2026, the Dutch House of Representatives adopted the legislative proposal More protection for flexible workers ('Meer zekerheid flexwerkers'). Through various amendments, the proposal has been tightened...

Op 27 januari 2026 deed het Gerechtshof Amsterdam uitspraak in de Uber-zaak over de kwalificatie van de arbeidsrelatie tussen Uber en haar chauffeurs. Zijn platformchauffeurs werknemers of zelfstandigen...

A recent case in the Netherlands assessed whether a contract for services constituted an employment contract under Dutch law. In this case, an employer and an employee entered into a contract for services for certain work.

The European Union's pay transparency directive (Directive (EU) 2023/970), adopted in 2023, requires member states to implement the directive into national legislation by June 2026.

In principle, sick employees retain the legal right to continued payment of a wage for 104 weeks. This term runs parallel to the waiting period for WIA (Work and Income according to Labor Capacity Act) benefits.