On September 13, the Schoof administration presented the elaboration of its coalition agreement titled ‘Hope, Courage, and Pride’. This government program, outlining key policy initiatives, is available at: Kabinet presenteert regeerprogramma | Nieuwsbericht | Rijksoverheid.nl.
Several measures are announced across various sectors, with a particular focus on labor law reforms. As stated on page 12:
“We will introduce legislation to provide greater job security for flexible workers, including measures to better protect agency workers, on-call employees, and temporary workers. Additionally, a new bill will clarify when someone is working as an employee or as a self-employed professional, giving freelancers more certainty. Furthermore, a mandatory disability insurance for the self-employed will be introduced to protect them in the event of long-term incapacity for work and to create a more level playing field between different types of workers. The Dutch Tax Authority will also resume enforcement of the employment status classification for payroll taxes, aiming to combat bogus self-employment.”
In addition, reforms to the social security system are highlighted as key priorities for the cabinet.
However, according to the 2025 Budget Memorandum, published on September 17, 2024, these laws are expected to be enacted “during the course of 2025.” There is a significant risk that the HVP (Highly Urgent Projects) deadline for labor market reforms in the first quarter of 2025 may not be met (see SZW Budget, p. 23).
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