Housing shortage in the Netherlands negatively affects the local job market

And the effect is especially prominent among younger people who often turn down job offers due to the lack of nearby housing

It turns out that the housing crisis in the Netherlands has reached such a crescendo that it now directly affects whether a person might consider taking up a job offer or refusing it. 25% of job seekers would turn down a job offer if they can’t find suitable housing near the office.

And a slight majority of Dutch first-time homebuyers would readily switch their jobs if the new employer offered them a company home, instead of, say, a company car.

These findings became evident from an analysis done by financial consultancy Viisi Hypotheken, which interviewed over 1,000 Dutch people between 22 and 35 who don’t own a home.

Housing – the ultimate pipe dream for modern youth

The study showed that 51% of the youth looking for a new job (and a house) said that if the company provided them with a home, they would change jobs because of that alone.

The fact that there are no homes for new staff is bad for the labour market because the right people do not end up in the right place. It makes the labour market even more of an Achilles heel of our society. And it is the tragedy of this young generation. Then they find a dream job but then there is no house for them," says labour market professor Ton Wilthagen, quoted by AD.

What this means for employers, going forward, is that they need to start getting more creative when it comes to attracting a workforce – and part of this will include providing help to find affordable housing.

This could be done in a variety of ways: one option would be the creation of factory villages, which was a practice a century ago. Alternatively, they could turn bonuses into fixed income so that banks would give out mortgages to applicants more easily.