More than a quarter of employers in the Netherlands expect to hire more staff in Q4 2025.
25 September 2025, Amsterdam – More than a quarter of employers in the Netherlands (28%) expect to hire more staff in the last quarter of 2025. This is according to the ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS), a survey conducted by ManpowerGroup in 41 countries among 39,449 employers, including 524 in the Netherlands. Although the employment outlook remains positive, it has declined by two percentage points compared to Q3 2025 and by the same amount compared to the last quarter of 2024.
The IT sector is growing, while the finance and real estate sectors are declining
As in the previous quarter, employers in all sectors expect to hire more staff in Q4. These are the key figures per sector:
IT sector: In Q4 2025, the IT sector shows the strongest increase in expectations, with a net employment outlook of 44 per cent. This represents a sharp increase of 16 percentage points compared to Q3 2025. Compared to the fourth quarter of last year, this is a decrease of 5 percentage points.
Communications services: The communications services sector reports an employment outlook of 34 per cent for this quarter. This is only 2 percentage points lower than in Q3 2025, but represents an increase compared to Q4 2024, when the outlook for this sector was 29 per cent.
Finance and real estate sector: the finance and real estate sector shows the sharpest decline. The employment outlook stood at 46 per cent in Q4 2024, fell to 21 per cent in Q3 2025 and dropped further to just 16 per cent in Q4. With a decline of 30 percentage points on an annual basis, this is the largest decline in all sectors.
Employers balance between growth and retention of workforce
Business growth is the main driver behind staff expansion in the last quarter of this year: 42 per cent of employers cite this as the most important reason. Operational factors such as replacing employees who have recently left (30 per cent) and the need for dedicated staff for specific projects (22 per cent) also play a role in staff expansion in Q4.
At the same time, staff reductions are mainly caused by not replacing employees who leave voluntarily (30%), automation (24%) and economic conditions (24%). To prevent employees from leaving, it is therefore important to focus on effective retention strategies. Employers are primarily focusing on improving work-life balance (39%) and recognising employees (33%).
André Secrest, Managing Director at ManpowerGroup Netherlands: “We see that retaining employees is at least as important to employers as recruiting them. Companies that manage to retain their employees prevent voluntary departures from leading to a reduction in their workforce. Work-life balance and flexibility have gained ground in recent years and currently score highly as retention strategies. Employers can already respond to this today by offering flexible working models, making work pressure negotiable and actively recognising and appreciating employees for their efforts and development. This also ties in well with the needs of Gen Z, who are currently entering the workplace. This curious, younger generation expects more room for balance and development. Those who respond to this in a targeted manner will remain competitive in the battle for talent.
With these insights, ManpowerGroup provides a detailed picture of the labour market and expectations for the coming quarter. Find out more in the new MEOS report for the fourth quarter of 2025.
Links:
- Full MEOS Q4 2025 report
- Infographic ETTO Q4 2025
- ManpowerGroup Labour market reports
- ManpowerGroup Insights
About MEOS and ETTO
The ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey (MEOS) is a comprehensive survey that measures the hiring intentions of employers worldwide. It provides a preview of labour market trends by asking employers whether they plan to increase or decrease their workforce in the coming quarter. The Experis Tech Talent Outlook (ETTO) is a comprehensive report that provides insight into the labour market for IT talent.
Het onderzoek wordt sinds 1962 uitgevoerd en wordt beschouwd als een betrouwbare indicator van arbeidsmarkttrends. De resultaten helpen bedrijven en werknemers inzicht te krijgen in de verwachte ontwikkelingen op de arbeidsmarkt.
Source ManpowerGroup
Karlijn Meijer
+31 (0)6 34 63 57 63
karlijn.meijer@manpowergroup.nl
About ManpowerGroup
ManpowerGroup® is the global leader in finding, developing and retaining talent. Through its brands Manpower, Experis and Talent Solutions, the HR service provider offers complete HR solutions in more than 70 countries. Every year, ManpowerGroup connects millions of people with meaningful work. Whether it’s temporary or permanent positions, in a wide range of sectors and fields, ManpowerGroup helps organisations and candidates achieve lasting success in a rapidly changing labour market.
For more information, visit www.manpowergroup.nl or follow us on LinkedIn.
