The number of self-employed people is still growing, despite discouragement from politicians. At the start of 2024, the Netherlands had more than 1.25 million self-employed people. That is almost 160,000 more than a year earlier. In ten years, the number of self-employed people in the Netherlands has even doubled, according to figures from CBS.
Why do people become self-employed?
In 2023, CBS and TNO surveyed why people become self-employed. Most self-employed people wanted to decide for themselves how much and when they worked, had always wanted to be self-employed, or have an occupation that is usually performed as a self-employed person. Few self-employed people said they became self-employed out of necessity. For most self-employed people, then, it is a truly conscious choice.
Self-employed people who mainly sell products strikingly often say they joined the family business. This is especially common in agriculture.
In which sectors do most self-employed people work?
The largest group of self-employed people offers their own services. In 2023, that was around 1 million people. There are fewer self-employed people who mainly sell products: in 2023, this was 192,000 people. In financial services, the number of self-employed people has grown steadily since 2013, by 2.9%.
Who are the self-employed?
CBS has conducted research into who the self-employed in the Netherlands are. Are they male or female? What is their level of education? And how long have they been self-employed?
Self-employed people are more often male than female: 62% versus 38% in 2023. Among employees, half are men and half are women.
Self-employed people are often older than employees. 57% of self-employed people are between 45 and 75 years old. Only 6% of self-employed people are 15 to 25 years old, while that age group represents 19% of employees in paid employment.
And once people become self-employed, they stick with it longer than the average number of years in paid employment. Self-employed people work an average of 9.8 years in their own business, while an employee works only 7.8 years in a single role.
Self-employed people are often more highly educated than people in paid employment, according to CBS figures. 47% of self-employed people are highly educated, compared with 40% of employees.
References
- NOS article on the number of self-employed people in the Netherlands https://nos.nl/artikel/2516211-opnieuw-meer-zzp-ers-ondanks-ontmoediging
- Reasons to become self-employed, CBS https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/dossier-zzp/wat-zijn-redenen-om-zzp-er-te-worden-
- The sectors in which self-employed people work, CBS https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/dossier-zzp/ontwikkelingen-zzp
- Characteristics of self-employed people, CBS https://www.cbs.nl/nl-nl/dossier/dossier-zzp/wie-zijn-de-zzp-ers
