"A job fair where applicants could present themselves to employers is ridiculous," says labour sociologist Fabian Dekker. He comments in AD on the way employers are currently seeking staff.
No longer of this time
"It should be exactly the other way around: business presenting itself to job seekers. The world has changed. A stall with a leaflet and free pen is no longer the way to recruit staff. Young people have something to choose from, it is an employee market. They know they are scarce."
In Rijnmond, as in other regions, tens of thousands of vacancies are open. National figures show a negative record: 143 vacancies for every 100 jobseekers. Shops, supermarkets, transporters, catering, port companies: which sector is not shy of staff?
Mismatch
For the Rotterdam situation, Dekker speaks of a mismatch, with a capital 'm'. “You don't need to have studied mathematics to see that something is going wrong here. There are 36,000 vacancies, but the unused labour potential consists of over 100,000 people. These are part-timers who want to work extra hours, students, benefit recipients, status holders or people with health disabilities. Why are they not being used?"
- More information
Read Fabian Dekker's suggestions in the AD (in Dutch).
- Related content
