The staffing industry in the Netherlands, which includes employment agencies, labour agencies and payroll companies, saw a 1.1% increase in turnover in the first quarter of 2017, when compared to the previous quarter, according to figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics.

The number of hours worked in long-term contracts such as staffing and payroll increased by 3.5%, compared to the last quarter. Meanwhile, the number of hours worked in short-term contracts fell by 0.8% in Q1, compared to Q4. The total number of hours worked within the staffing industry rose by 1.4% when compared to the previous quarter. Hours worked within the staffing industry have been continuously growing since 2012.

The data from the Bureau also showed that the Dutch labour market saw an increase of 56,000 jobs in Q1, when compared to Q4. Of the 56,000 jobs, 19,000 of them were within the staffing industry. Meanwhile, the number of job vacancies increased in the first quarter with 13,000, which was the biggest quarter-on-quarter increase in over a decade.