Workforce

The Netherlands' workforce is a key strength of its world-renowned logistics capabilities. Skilled, hardworking and extremely cooperative, it is the envy of Europe for efficiency and dedication in distributing your products to the rest of the EU.

In fact, there are more than 12,000 Dutch companies driving the Netherlands' highly evolved transport sector. Here are two important reasons why the Netherlands workforce works best.

The flexibility factor

Wages and benefits are reasonable in the Netherlands and productivity is very high. More important, flexible contracts permit you to manage workload changes more easily, and respond faster to peak shipping situations. Temporary contracts are the norm. Minimum/maximum contracts let you and your labor force agree upon weekly hours worked. Temporary workers may be hired for up to one year, or longer. You also have the option of participating in labor pools with other companies, sharing the same skilled employees, as demand requires.

Success, in many languages

In Europe, it's essential to have at least three to four languages spoken within your distribution system. On average, Dutch employees have higher multilingual capabilities than their counterparts in surrounding countries. Cap Gemini Ernst and Young's 2003 EU report ranks the Netherlands high for multilingualism -- 91% of the population are bilingual. The literacy rate is 99% and English is practically the second language, with 78% of the population speaking it. German is spoken by 57% of the Dutch population and 14% speak French.