New flexible work legislation takes another step forward ⚖️

On May 12, 2026, the House of Representatives approved the “Greater Security for Flexible Workers” bill. This marks an important step toward stricter regulations for flexible work.

These are the key changes for employers:

• Zero-hour contracts are being phased out: a fixed minimum and maximum number of hours will be established, with the maximum not exceeding 130% of the minimum. If an employee consistently works more hours, you must offer an employment contract with a higher number of hours. However, individuals eligible for the State Pension (AOW), as well as young people, high school students, and college students with part-time jobs, may continue to work under a zero-hour contract. 
• Interval in the chain provision extended: After three temporary employment contracts, there will soon be a three-year interval before you can offer another temporary employment contract. This is a significant tightening of the rules; currently, that period is still six months. Incidentally, the original proposal was five years, so the period has already been reduced. 
• Temporary workers will receive equivalent terms and conditions of employment: Temporary workers will be entitled to terms and conditions of employment that are at least equivalent to those of employees in comparable positions at the client company - and this applies to all terms and conditions of employment, not just compensation. For many staffing agencies, this is not an entirely new requirement. The Collective Labor Agreement for Temporary Workers 2026–2028 already anticipates this and includes a provision for equivalent terms and conditions of employment effective January 1, 2026. Furthermore, the temporary employment phases will be shortened from one and a half years to one year.

What now?

The bill is currently before the Senate. The Social Affairs and Employment Committee is discussing the next steps today. If the Senate also approves it, the law will largely take effect on January 1, 2028. The rules regarding equivalent employment conditions for temporary workers may take effect as early as January 1, 2027.

That may seem far off, but experience shows that adjusting contract structures and temporary staffing arrangements often takes longer than expected. That is precisely why now is a good time to critically review existing on-call contracts, temporary contracts, and temporary staffing arrangements. Are you unsure whether your contracts and working methods are future-proof? Then now is the time to have them reviewed. 

Do you have any questions about this? Please feel free to contact Dennis Oud, Tessa Sipkema, Noa Bilogrevic, or me.