Employment contract

Fixed-term and permanent contract

You can offer an employee a:

fixed-term contract (a temporary contract), or a
contract for an indefinite period (a permanent contract)

Contracts can be agreed in writing or verbally. In the employment contract, you indicate whether a Collective Labour Agreement (CAO) applies.

When should an employee receive a permanent contract?

You cannot continually extend temporary contracts. An employee must receive a permanent contract after 3 consecutive temporary contracts, or after temporary contracts over a period of 3 years. This applies unless other arrangements have been made in the CAO. Find out what consecutive contracts are (in Dutch) and what conditions apply.

Written statement of employment details

As an employer, you must give your employees a contract that contains the details of their employment. The information must include among others:

the name and place of residence of the employer and the employee
the location(s), at which the work is carried out
the employee's job or the nature of the work
the usual working hours (per day or per week)
the amount of the salary and the payment periods
date when the employee joined the company
term of the contract (if it is for a fixed term)
(if applicable:) length of the trial period
holiday allowance
holiday entitlement
notice period
(if applicable) pension
(if applicable) non-compete or non-solicitation clause
the Collective Labour Agreement (CAO), if applicable for your company

Equal treatment and pay

You have to treat and pay your employees equally. Working conditions must be the same for all your employees. Discrimination based on religion, beliefs, political opinions, race, gender, age, disabilities, or any other grounds is unlawful.

Please note: payroll employees have at least the same legal position and working conditions as other employees in your company. If you hire employees from a temping agency or payroll company, you have to inform them about your working conditions.