More young people with a flexible employment contract

In 2012, 627 thousand young people were no longer studying but working. About 40 percent of them had a flexible employment contract. The share of young people who get flexible contracts is increasing.

Four in ten young workers have a flexible employment contract

In 2012 there were 797 thousand young people, aged between 15 and 27, who were no longer studying. Some 627 thousand of them (79 percent) were working. Just over half of these young people had a permanent contract, 6 percent was self-employed and 39 percent had a flexible employment contract. Young people more often get flexible contracts than their older colleagues. Some 11 percent of the people aged between 27 and 65 had a flexible contract.

Employed labour force by type of employment contact, 2012

Sharp rise in the share of young people with a flexible employment contract

This last decade saw a sharp rise in the share of young employees with a flexible contract. This applies primarily to young people working on a temporary contract with the prospect of a permanent contract, and to on-call workers. The share of young people with the prospect of a permanent contract rose from 10 percent in 2002 to 15 percent in 2012. In the same period the share of on-call workers went from 2 to 7 percent. The increase in the share of flexible contracts mainly came at the expense of young people with a permanent contract. The share of self-employed people remained about the same.

In 2002 some 72 percent of the young people had permanent employment contract, and 24 percent a flexible one. The share of workers with a flexible contract in the 27 to 65 age bracket rose from just 8 percent in 2002 to 11 percent in 2012.

Employed labour force, non-students (15 to 27 yrs) by type of employment contract

Young women more often get a flexible contract

Young women get flexible contracts slightly more often than young men. Young men, on the other hand, are more often self-employed. Young men and young women get permanent contracts in equal numbers.
The level of education also shows differences in the kind of employment contracts. Highly educated people and people with little education work more often with a flexible contract than people with secondary education. Highly educated young people mainly get temporary contracts with the prospect of a permanent contract. People with little education are primarily flex workers. Young people with secondary education relatively often get a permanent contract.

Employed labour force, non-students (15 to 27 yrs) by type of employment contract, sex and level of education, 2012

Marian Driessen