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More than half of people who leave self-employment in the Netherlands find paid work within three months, according to an analysis published by De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) on 15 October 2026. Only 7% become unemployed, while many others move into permanent-track or flexible jobs—often in a different industry.
What happens after freelancers stop working for themselves?
The figures describe a labour-market shift rather than a surge in unemployment. By mid-2026, the Netherlands had about 131,000 fewer self-employed workers than at the end of 2024, when the total had peaked at almost 1.3 million. DNB’s analysis shows that most people leaving self-employment continue working in some form.
| Outcome after leaving self-employment | DNB finding |
|---|---|
| Find paid work within three months | More than half |
| Move to a permanent job or a role with a prospect of a permanent contract | About one-third |
| Take flexible employment | A similarly large group |
| Become unemployed | 7% |
The three-month result is a transition measure: it does not say that every person found a job immediately, nor that the new job offers the same income, autonomy or security as freelance work.
Sector changes are common
Almost half of former self-employed workers who find a new job work in a different sector. The largest destinations identified by DNB are healthcare and social care; government and education; and retail, transport and hospitality.
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Why the destination sectors matter
These industries employ people with transferable skills such as planning, customer service, project coordination, technical support and specialist professional knowledge. DNB also observes relatively high movement between self-employment and employment in healthcare, construction, facility services and business services. Those areas are prominent in debates about false self-employment, where a person is formally treated as an independent contractor but works in conditions resembling an employee.
Sector change does not always mean a completely new career
Nearly 40% of people who leave self-employment are in a different occupational category three months later. DNB cautions that statistical classifications can account for part of this movement. A change in the recorded sector or occupation may therefore reflect a different employer, business activity or classification rather than a total change in day-to-day tasks.
Do ex-freelancers become unemployed?
In DNB’s figures, 7% of former self-employed workers become unemployed. That share is comparable with previous years, so the fall in self-employment has not translated into a corresponding jump in unemployment.
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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →DNB’s conclusion is that leaving self-employment mainly produces movement within the labour market: people enter paid employment, take flexible work, or start another business, sometimes with employees. The data do not establish whether a person chose to leave, lost a contract, changed status because of employer decisions, or responded to regulatory and market conditions.
How the Dutch labour market compares
DNB’s broader analysis of Statistics Netherlands (CBS) microdata covering 2011–2025 provides a useful benchmark. About 17% of employees change employer in an average year, and 57% of those job-to-job movers also change sector. Former freelancers therefore show substantial sector mobility, but changing sector is not unique to people leaving self-employment.
What the data cannot tell you
- Income: DNB does not report whether earnings rise or fall after the move.
- Job quality: The analysis does not establish changes in hours, benefits, autonomy, productivity or working conditions.
- Reasons: The data do not record why people stop freelancing, so they cannot prove that enforcement changes or the end of an enforcement moratorium caused the decline.
- Longer-term outcomes: The headline employment measure covers the first three months and does not show whether a new job lasts.
What this means for former freelancers
The evidence suggests that a former freelancer should not assume that leaving self-employment leads directly to a long period without work. A realistic expectation is a rapid transition into employment or another form of economic activity, with a substantial possibility of entering a different industry.
Job searches may be more effective when they emphasise capabilities rather than a single freelance job title. Experience managing clients, delivering projects, finding work independently and adapting to changing requirements can transfer across sectors. Employment agencies and trade-related roles may also serve as stepping stones into a new field, according to DNB’s labour-market analysis.
At the same time, the aggregate figures are not a guarantee for any individual. Contract type, occupation, region, qualifications and the reason for leaving self-employment can all affect the speed and quality of the next job.
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