Due to staffing shortages in the healthcare sector, the costs of hiring temporary and self-employed workers have risen sharply in the past year. External staffing costs represent an increasingly large part of total staffing costs, according to new figures released by Statistics Netherlands on Thursday.
The four largest healthcare sectors (home and nursing care, hospital care, mental healthcare and disability care) spent at least 48 billion euros on personnel costs in 2021. This is 2.1 percent more than a year earlier.
Spending on temporary and self-employed workers grew faster than the rest of wage costs, at 8.3 percent. Consequently, the portion of total personnel costs that goes to external staff has also increased. Especially in caring for the disabled. In 2021, 9.3 percent of total personnel costs were spent on hiring temporary workers and self-employed people without employees. In 2015, this was still 4.8% of the total.
In home care, nursing care, and mental health care, the share of outside staff in total staff costs has also risen sharply.
According to Statistics Netherlands, hospitalizations have not seen a significant increase. In 2021, more than 5 percent of personnel costs there were spent on temporary workers and self-employed people without employees.
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