Almere, 28 September 2015 - Exploratory research conducted by Dutch Employee Insurance Agency UWV and USG People among temporary employees aged over 50 has shown that the temping sector in the Netherlands plays an important role in helping older jobseekers to find and stay in work. The study revealed that 80% of the over-50s surveyed who found work via USG People in 2013 remained in work throughout the research period. Around a quarter progressed from a temping job onto a temporary or permanent contract with an employer, with the remainder continuing to work on a temporary employment contract. At the end of the research period only 3% of those surveyed were on state unemployment benefit.
USG People and UWV conducted their research among more than 5,000 temporary employees aged 50 and over who worked for USG People between 2013 and the first quarter of 2015. The study looked at their position in the labour market before and after their temping job. Almost 1,000 people who were in a temporary job in 2014 and 2015 were asked to complete a questionnaire comparing the temporary job with their previous job, while 4,300 temps of 2013 had their job development up to the end of October 2014 tracked using the contract administration.
The report showed that half of the over-50 temps had been jobseekers prior to taking a temping job. Almost two-thirds of those on a temporary employment contract with USG People were doing a job that was (to a certain extent) comparable to their previous job. Almost one-third said that their temping job was on a higher level than their previous job. Over half of the temps were earning less income than in their previous job; this was largely attributable to a reduction in the number of hours worked.
JOB PROGRESSION
64% of the over-50s who were temps in 2013 moved on to another job after their temping job while the end of the research period saw 16% still in the same temping job as at the start of the study. It is noteworthy that 10% of those surveyed said they had already retired but had returned to work via a temping job following the end of their active careers. Most of those who went down this road were men.
Ton Sluiter, corporate marketing manager at USG People: 'The services we provide offer attractive opportunities to all generations. Increasingly the over-50s are joining those who find their way to a new job by way of our extensive network of employers. This usually starts with a temporary or secondment contract and in many cases results in a direct contract of employment with the employer - often in a job that is comparable to and sometimes even better than the previous one.'
UWV said that the exploratory study shows that temporary employment also offers jobseekers over 50 an effective way of getting back to work and moving on to a temporary or permanent job. In light of this UWV will continue to actively alert over-50s to the opportunities presented by temporary employment.

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