Construction

At the start of the third quarter of 2026, there were 269,845 construction businesses in the Netherlands. That is 960 more than in the previous quarter.

In the second quarter of 2026, construction businesses reported a 5.1% increase in sales compared with the same period a year earlier. In general construction and project development turnover rose by 3.6%. Specialized construction reported a 6.0% increase in turnover.

In the second quarter of 2026, there were 28,600 job openings in the construction industry. That is slightly higher than in the previous quarter. More than 21% of construction businesses reported a staff shortage.

In the second quarter of 2026, collective bargaining agreement wages in the construction industry rose by 6.0% compared with the same quarter a year earlier. In the previous quarter, the wage increase was 7.1%.

At the beginning of the third quarter of 2026, business confidence in the construction industry stood at -12.8. This is higher than in the previous quarter when confidence stood at -29.4. Construction business owners were more pessimistic as business owners in other sectors.