Demand for workers in the construction and infrastructure industry has fallen by -35% in the three months to September, but prospects in the staffing industry are still good, new research shows.

Although demand for professionals working in this sector was down, Randstad has found that the medium to long-term outlook for the market was overall still bright.

But the data also showed that almost all sectors in the Netherlands have been hit by a decline as the amount of open vacancies has dropped in recent months. It said that deteriorations in the labour market could be seen in particular in the government sector and professional services, as well as industry, healthcare and financial services.

On the positive side, there has been a “remarkable” increase in the number of vacancies in the energy & telecom sector advertised during the third quarter of the year.

The report warned that companies are struggling with a skills shortage in the technical sector, which is a major obstacle to growth. Being able to hold on to talented staff was therefore crucial.

“Recent research by Yacht for trends and behaviour in the labour market shows that 50% of technical professionals want more challenges at work,” said Joost Duffhues who works at Yacht, part of the Randstad Group. He said employers need to accommodate the wishes of their staff to increase their career development.