Employers checklist for the Balance Employment Market Act

Fixed-term contract: low unemployment benefit (WW) contribution, flexible contract: high unemployment benefit contribution
On-call employees: fixed-hours offer after 12 months
Payroll employers: uniform working conditions
Payroll employee: same legal position and working conditions
Transition payment from first day of employ

On 1 January, the rules for labour and social security have changed. The Balance Employment Market Act (Wet Arbeidsmarkt in Balans, WAB) has come into force. As an employer, you must take into account the changes this law entails. Read the checklist to find out what the Balance Employment Market Act means for you.

Fixed-term contract: low unemployment benefit (WW) contribution, flexible contract: high unemployment benefit contribution

From 1 January 2020, you as an employer will pay a low unemployment benefit contribution for employees with fixed-term contracts. You will pay a higher contribution for employees with a flexible contract. You have to pay the correct amount of unemployment benefit contribution.

More information in Dutch is available on the website Rijksoverheid.nl: ‘Vast contract: lage WW-premie, flexibel contract: hoge WW-premie’.

Corona: no higher unemployment benefit premiums for overtime

Under the Balance Employment Act (WAB), employers retroactively have to pay higher unemployment benefit premiums for permanent staff who work more than 30% overtime in a year. This measure will be cancelled for 2020 to help employers in for instance healthcare, whose employees make excessive hours during the corona crisis.

On-call employees: fixed-hours offer after 12 months

Effective 1 January, you have to offer on-call employees who have been in your employ for 12 months or longer a fixed-hour contract.

Your offer has to meet certain conditions. Find out what you have to offer on-call employees who have been in your employ for over 12 months on 1 January on the Rijksoverheid.nl website (in Dutch): ‘Oproepkrachten: aanbod voor vaste uren na 12 maanden’.

Payroll employers: uniform working conditions

As of 1 January, if you are a payroll employer, you have to make sure that your payroll employees work under the same working conditions as the other employees in the company they have been seconded to.

Read how to make sure your payroll employees have the same working conditions as other employees on the Rijksoverheid.nl website (in Dutch): ‘Payrollwerkgevers: arbeidsvoorwaarden worden gelijk’.

Payroll employee: same legal position and working conditions

As of 1 January, payroll employees are entitled to at least the same working conditions as employees of the company they are seconded to. Do you hire employees through a temp agency or payroll company? Then, you have to inform that party of the working conditions you uphold for your own employees.

See which information you have to share as a hiring party on the Rijksoverheid.nl website (in Dutch): ‘Payrollmedewerkers: dezelfde rechtspositie en arbeidsvoorwaarden’.

Transition payment from first day of employ

Effective 1 January, a transition payment is mandatory whenever you terminate or fail to renew a temporary contract. The duration of the employment contract makes no difference.

Find out how the transition payment is calculated as of 1 January on the Rijksoverheid.nl website: ‘Transitievergoeding vanaf de eerste werkdag’.