# Construction needs about 73,000 more workers by 2030

> The building sector must find about 73,000 people between 2027 and 2030 for housing, infrastructure and greener buildings, while the defence build-up draws away staff, the Economisch Instituut voor de Bouw says.

Economy · published 2026-10-22 04:15 · https://nlnow.nl/a/dutch-construction-needs-73-000-more-workers-as-defence-competes/

The Dutch construction sector needs about 73,000 new workers between 2027 and 2030, according to a new report by the Economisch Instituut voor de Bouw (EIB). The growth of defence and the defence industry adds competition for the same people, the institute says.

The EIB links the demand to work on housing, infrastructure and making the built environment more sustainable. In the first half of this year there were 74 vacancies per 1,000 jobs in construction, well above the national average. The institute warns that it cannot be taken for granted that all these ambitions can be realised at the same time.

The EIB projects output growth of about 3% a year and labour productivity growth of about 2% a year. That means about 26,000 extra workers. Another 47,000 are needed to replace people who retire or become incapacitated.

About 52,000 workers can come from vocational training, the EIB says. More than 21,000 more will have to come from career changers (zij-instroom). The number of students on construction-related mbo programmes rose 4% last year, but the total number of technical students is likely to fall in the coming years.

Competition from defence costs construction about 1,100 workers a year, the EIB says, mainly mechanics, electrical engineers and machine operators. "The pool is shrinking a little," says EIB director Taco van Hoek, so the sector needs to win more ground.

The number of foreign workers in construction appears to fall slightly this year, with a net outflow of about 1,000 people. The EIB says this may be linked to stricter enforcement against bogus self-employment (schijnzelfstandigheid), since many foreign construction workers are self-employed. It also points to Poland: in 2025 more people of Polish origin left the Netherlands than settled here.

Strong growth in foreign inflow cannot be taken for granted, the EIB says. Van Hoek says the sector will certainly need foreign workers: "You will have to offer the conditions to get people to come here."

## Background

- **EIB (Economisch Instituut voor de Bouw)**: The Economic Institute for the Construction Sector is the research institute that analyses the economy and labour market of the Dutch construction sector. It publishes studies and forecasts on construction activity, employment and the skills that companies need. Its figures help employers, training bodies and policymakers plan how many workers the sector will require.
- **mbo (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs)**: Secondary vocational education in the Netherlands, known as mbo, is the vocational track after secondary school, usually covering levels 1 to 4 of the national qualification framework. Students train for a specific trade or profession, such as construction, technology, care or hospitality, and learn partly in school and partly through work placements in companies. It is one of the main routes through which skilled workers enter the Dutch labour market.

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