A lot gets claimed about the labour market for starters. Here is only what can be backed up, with figures from CBS, SEO Economic Research and legislation.
Do young people work alongside their studies more often than before?
CBS reports that the net labour participation of young people aged 15 to 27 rose from 69.0% in 2014 to 77.7% in 2024; for 15- to 19-year-olds from 55.9% to 68.5% [1]. In 2019, 62% of young people in education aged 15 to 27 had paid work [2]. Working higher-education students had an average usual working time of 18.7 hours a week in 2023 [3]. Research by SEO found that graduates with a relevant side job found a first substantial job faster on average [4].
Has the labour market become tighter or looser?
For the labour market as a whole: in the second quarter of 2026 there were, according to preliminary CBS figures, 95 vacancies per 100 unemployed people (seasonally adjusted), against 101 a year earlier and 142 in the second quarter of 2022 [5]. The tightness has eased, though this concerns all workers and not starters specifically. According to SEO, the time to a substantial job for graduates of universities of applied sciences and research universities in the 2020-2021 cohort had fallen to about three months, partly due to the tight labour market [4]. The situation moves with the economic cycle. A steady junior inflow makes a company less dependent on hiring moments.
What role does pay transparency play?
A legal one: the EU pay transparency directive gives applicants the right to receive, before the interview, information about the starting pay or range, and prohibits asking about someone's pay history [6]. The Dutch bill was submitted on 21 May 2026 and is due to take effect on 1 January 2027, but still has to pass both Chambers [7].
What do these developments mean for employers?
- Build a junior pipeline before you urgently need one, not only once a role has to be filled fast
- Be transparent about salary and hours; legislation is moving that way
- Look beyond traditional job boards and your own network
- Treat a working-student role as a structural part of the organisation, not a temporary patch
What does this mean for candidates?
Relevant experience during your studies shows up in the figures: those with a relevant side job found a first job faster on average. So start before you graduate, and ask about salary and hours in every vacancy.
Sources
- CBS (2025): Werk: Jaarrapport Landelijke Jeugdmonitor 2025, accessed 11 October 2026.
- CBS (2020): Werk: Jaarrapport Landelijke Jeugdmonitor 2020, accessed 11 October 2026.
- CBS (2023): Scholieren voortgezet onderwijs werkten derde kwartaal 11 uur per week (met tabellen gebruikelijke arbeidsduur en top 3 beroepen), accessed 11 October 2026.
- SEO Economisch Onderzoek (2023): Studie & Werk HO: de arbeidsmarktpositie van hbo- en wo-alumni (Bussink, Van der Ven & Klinker, in opdracht van EW Magazine), accessed 11 October 2026.
- CBS (2026): Werkloosheid gedaald in tweede kwartaal 2026, accessed 11 October 2026.
- EUR-Lex (Europese Unie) (2023): Richtlijn (EU) 2023/970 ter versterking van het beginsel van gelijke beloning (artikel 5), accessed 11 October 2026.
- Rijksoverheid (2026): Meer openheid over loonkloof tussen mannen en vrouwen, accessed 11 October 2026.
Transparency: VOIDS connects working students with organisations and therefore has an interest in this topic. We back up facts with sources and connect research and trends to our own experience from practice.
