Industry

At the start of the second quarter of 2026, there were 87,270 industry companies in the Netherlands. That is 155 fewer than in the previous quarter.

In the first quarter of 2026, industry companies reported a 2.2% increase in turnover compared with the same period a year earlier. Turnover at machinery industry companies increased by 10.1%, while food industry companies recorded a 5.4% decrease.

In the first quarter of 2026, there were 29,100 job vacancies in the industry. This was 3.9% more than in the previous quarter. 24% of the entrepreneurs in the industry reported a staff shortage.

In the second quarter of 2026, collective labour agreement (CAO) wages in the industry increased by 4.5% compared with the same period a year earlier. In the previous quarter, wage growth was 4.7%.

At the beginning of the second quarter of 2026, business confidence in the industry stood at -10.9. This was lower than in the previous quarter, when confidence was -2.9. Entrepreneurs in the industry were more positive than the average business owner.