# Jobs agreement target group rises to 327,898 people

> The Employee Insurance Agency says 175,774 of them were working in the first quarter of 2026, and the total is higher than in earlier quarters because more groups are now counted.

Economy · published 2026-11-04 10:11 · https://nlnow.nl/a/uwv-counts-327-898-people-in-jobs-agreement-target-group/

UWV reports that 175,774 people from the target group of the banenafspraak (jobs agreement) had work in the first quarter of 2026. The group now totals 327,898 people, a one-off rise caused by a change in how UWV counts it.

Since 1 January 2026, people on a Wajong benefit who permanently have no earning capacity but still work have been part of the target group. So have people on an IVA benefit who work with a wage exemption.

UWV now shows these groups better in its dashboard and has aligned it with the method of its annual measurement. It says this causes a one-off increase in the total.

People in a sheltered workplace under the Wet sociale werkvoorziening (Wsw, the sheltered employment act) are also in the target group. Their jobs do not count towards the number of jobs realised under the agreement.

The quarterly figures are indicative. Only the annual national jobs report (banenmonitor banenafspraak) is an official measurement. UWV will publish second-quarter figures by mid-November 2026 at the latest.

## Background

- **UWV (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen)**: The Employee Insurance Agency, which pays unemployment and disability benefits and helps people back into work.
- **banenafspraak**: The jobs agreement is an agreement between the Dutch government and employers to create paid jobs for people with an occupational disability (arbeidsbeperking), so that they can work in regular employment. UWV tracks how many people from the target group of the agreement are working, which is why its figures are reported regularly.
- **Wajong (Wet werk en arbeidsondersteuning jonggehandicapten)**: Wajong is a Dutch social security benefit, administered by UWV, for young people who have a disability or illness that began before they could work or during their studies, and who have reduced or no earning capacity (arbeidsvermogen). It provides income support and can be combined with work, depending on how much a person is able to earn.

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