Understanding Uitzendbureaus

Uitzendbureaus — a.k.a. temporary employment agencies in Dutch — can be dated back to the 1650s in the United Kingdom. However, they became really popular during World War II due to the need of thousands of low-cost temporary workers, and the employers’ desire to avoid the hassle of having to hire, train, supervise and eventually fire them. This industry only continued to grow, and today there are more than 3 million workers who have been temporarily employed in the U.S. alone.

Nowadays, uitzendbureaus are the short-term solution to obtain a temporary employment. They serve a role as a third party between the employer and the employee. They usually direct work scheduling, remuneration, taxes and other necessities in the relationship between a client employee and a client employer. Client firms are allowed to request the skills and the type of jobs that needs to be done, as well as the right to terminate a certain position or file a complaint against an employee.

Applicants might be hired based on their scores on personality, emotional intelligence or IQ tests, as companies are interested in the eligibility and the competence of the potential employee. If one is selected, then the temporary employee is contacted by the agency and asked whether he/she is interested in taking the assignment. When a potential employee refuses to take a position, they risk being unemployed for some time, because uitzendbureaus only provide the availability of assignments, they do not create them.

Nonetheless, if one agrees to an assignment, they receive instructions and details about the job. The agency also provides information on work hours, wages, appropriate work attire and who their supervisor will be. Moreover, if the applicant arrives at a job assignment and the duties are not as described by the agency, they may call an agency representative for clarification. If the choice is not to continue on the assignment due to the discrepancies, the employee will most likely lose any potential pay and further undermine the chances for other job opportunities.

Fortunately, there are some agencies that guarantee an employee a certain number of hours pay, in case there is no work when the employee arrives on location, or the work duties are not as described. Most agencies allow an employee to discontinue work if the discrepancies are big enough and make it difficult for the employee to do the work.

Regardless of the fact one has chosen to take up an assignment or not, it is up to the temporary employee to keep in contact with the agency when not currently working on an assignment. This is advisable because when the agency knows that they are available for another assignment, they are given priority over those who are still being taken in or not ready to take on an assignment.

There are advantages and disadvantages to the uses of an uitzendbureau. The advantages include:

1. Easy Hire: If an applicant meets the requirements for a job, then they are often virtually guaranteed a job without a selection process. Thus, it might actually be easier to find work as a temporary worker. Moreover, there are agencies that will hire even without submission of an résumé or an interview.

2. Flexibility: In most cases, the temp jobs are up to 40 hours a week while they last, and the employee is allowed to take some time off when the assignment is over. If one has done the job he has been asked for, the only thing left to do is to maintain enough presence in the job in order to keep the agency interested in working with them. Otherwise, one risk beings considered as flaky, which could undermine any chances for future assignments.

3. Career Exploration: Temping offers an opportunity for one to learn about different career fields they would normally not be exposed to, and to find out whether they like it enough or not. This allows for being able to make a conscious choice for future career.

4. Create Your Own Network: As a temporary worker, one would be represented with more contacts by an agency than they could ever develop on their own. By taking up various assignments, one has the opportunity to meet more people and create useful contacts. This could put one well ahead of an applicant off the street.

5. Transition into Permanent Employment: In some cases, a temp-to-hire position works out and one actually becomes a permanent employee of the employer. If that happens, you are not obliged to accept the offer but if you decide to do so, be sure to let the temp agency know.

6. Gain Skills and Experience: Personal experience is valuable. By taking up different assignments, one can improve their basic skills by being exposed to diverse situations, requiring adapting and improving previous knowledge, which can only contribute to enhancing a certain skill set. This also helps gaining additional experience and expertise in the process.

The disadvantages include:

1. Abrupt Endings: Unfortunately, a temporary job is just temporary and sometimes it can end without warning. It can happen due to a change in the circumstances, such as management replacements or an unexpected decrease in sales.

2. No Additional Benefits: Since most assignments are temporary, the pay is usually low and there is little incentive in providing benefits. Full-time permanent employees often receive health benefits, paid vacation, sick leave and so on, but a temporary employee is likely not to receive the bare minimum of benefits as obligated by law.

3. Limited Free Time: This might seem contradictory since it was already mentioned that temporary employment agencies provide flexibility. However, if you work more than one temporary job to provide an income, it is natural to have limited free time to look for permanent employment. It might make it more difficult to devote time to seeking opportunities, filling out applications or writing cover letters and résumés.


In conclusion, uitzendbureaus can be useful if you are looking for a fast and flexible source of experience in the job market. Temping is not for everybody, but it could help you re-enter the workforce, or to begin in the job market, which in turn could eventually result in a permanent position.

Nesrin Nazlieva

Sources:
https://www.fastcompany.com/3052030/a-look-at-the-temp-agencies-of-the-future
http://smallbusiness.chron.com/use-staffing-agency-2513.html
https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/247008
https://wol.iza.org/articles/how-can-temporary-work-agencies-provide-more-training/long
https://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/01/26/the-rise-of-the-permanent-temp-economy/?_r=2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Employment_agency