In early December, companies, governments and educational institutions came together in Technoforum in Wijchen to discuss innovative solutions to labour market challenges. From combination jobs and informal care to the power of international talent and co-intelligence, inspiring insights and cooperation were the focus.Investing in talent and research is crucial
The symposium began with a clear call to the central government: continue to invest in education and research. These pillars are essential for the future of the Netherlands. The Arnhem-Nijmegen region is deeply concerned about the planned cuts to education and the regulation of the influx of international students. International talent is indispensable in tackling labour market shortages. “We must continue to focus on recruiting international students and retaining them in the Netherlands,” said Jan van Dellen, director of The Economic Board. The symposium not only highlighted the scale of the challenge but also provided plenty of inspiration through a range of proposed solutions.Of the 800,000 people living in the Arnhem-Nijmegen region, around 400,000 are in work. This means there is a significant gap between the available labour pool and the demand for workers. However, there is a severe shortage of staff in sectors such as energy, healthcare and high-tech. Over the next six years, for example, the energy and semiconductor industries alone will need 6,000 additional workers. The situation in the healthcare sector is even more pressing, with one in six people currently working in healthcare. If nothing changes, the shortage there could become so severe that one in three people would have to work in the healthcare sector to meet demand. Pascalle Neijenhuis, managing director of WZW, discussed the challenges facing the healthcare sector. “At the moment, there is no labour shortage in the region, but rather an excess of demand,” she says. Neijenhuis pointed out that it is not possible simply to attract more people. To ease the workload, better collaboration is essential, and technology can play a key role in this. What we currently regard as informal care will soon be part of citizenship for everyone. Almost 25 per cent of the Dutch workforce are informal carers. To prevent employees from becoming overburdened by both their work and their informal care responsibilities, it is important that working structures are more flexible. As a society and as employers, we will have to start looking at each other and at work in a different way. Emile van Nassau from ‘Werken in Gelderland’ focused on innovating working practices. He gave examples of combined jobs, such as working in the care sector and for the fire service (brambulance). In 2022, there were 832,000 people in the Netherlands with multiple jobs; this was not due to poverty but to personal development. Holding a combined role helps to address staff shortages in various sectors. Combining roles can offer employees variety in their work whilst also helping to ease the pressure on various sectors. Hugo Jacobs from the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science spoke about the role of education in tackling staff shortages. Education is the sector par excellence for helping the Netherlands move forward. He emphasised that schools and businesses must collaborate more effectively, so that students are quicker to choose jobs in sectors where people are desperately needed. Jacobs also highlighted the importance of networking within the education sector to bring people into closer contact with one another, which can help to reduce the shortages.
From flexibility in work to flexibility in life
Trend watcher Eva Beltman (HAN University of Applied Sciences) rounded off the day with an inspiring vision of the future: “Flexibility in work is inextricably linked to flexibility in life. Through co-intelligence and innovation, we can get to grips with the challenges of tomorrow.
The sky is not the limit!”, said Beltman. The symposium demonstrated that joining forces can lead to new, effective solutions to labour market shortages. The event was organised by five Business Administration students from
HAN University of Applied Sciences in collaboration with The Economic Board.
