Reducing the gap between flexible and permanent employment has been the goal of successive governments until now. As of January 1, 2026, temporary employment agencies will take the next step with the new ABU collective labor agreement. This new collective labor agreement will have a significant impact on contact centers.

 

Efforts have been underway for some time to reduce the difference between permanent contracts and flexible employment. This is a response to what has been described in recent years as the "excessive flexibilization" of the labor market. Both reports from the Borstlap Committee (2020) and recommendations from the Social and Economic Council (SER) (2021) advocated for "more security for people and more agility for companies." A few years ago, the Balanced Labor Market Act (WAB) caused considerable stress for employers. A much larger step had already been taken in 1998 with the Act on the Allocation of Workers by Intermediaries (Waadi, 1998). This law stipulates that temporary agency workers are entitled to the same employment conditions as employees in a comparable position at the hiring company.

Equalization

Currently, the Waadi stipulates that temporary agency workers are entitled to "at least the same employment conditions" as an employee employed by the client in the same or a similar position. The Waadi also stipulates that deviations are permitted to agree on different employment conditions for temporary agency workers.

Starting January 1, 2026, this "hirer's remuneration" will be replaced by "equivalent remuneration," also known as "equivalent employment conditions." In other words, temporary and permanent employees will be "equalized" in every respect; the temporary employment sector will thus fully comply with the hiring company's collective labor agreement.

This change has financial implications for both hiring companies and temporary employment agencies, although the impact may vary depending on the client and collective bargaining agreement. Most importantly, the direct cost advantage that used to apply to temporary workers will almost completely disappear – more on that later.

Employment agencies have taken a step forward

In anticipation of the possible introduction of the WZF, several unions began negotiations on a new collective labor agreement for temporary employment agencies at the end of 2023. An agreement in principle was reached on February 23, 2024 – the new ABU collective labor agreement will come into effect on January 1, 2026 and runs until the end of 2028. From the moment of that agreement, the temporary employment sector began preparing for the harmonisation.

Also read: “If your business model is based on low labor costs, things will be difficult in the Netherlands.” Interview with labor market specialist Wim Davidse.

Concrete changes as of January 1

As of January 1, 2026, the "hirer's remuneration" for temporary workers has been replaced by "equivalent employment conditions." This last provision can be taken literally: the total employment package of the temporary worker—including leave arrangements, pensions, bonuses, and incentives—must be equal in value to that of permanent employees at the client. This applies to both essential and non-essential employment conditions; if a disadvantage arises, compensation must be provided. within the category of essential conditions.

The current hirer's remuneration already includes all sorts of employment conditions similar to those applied by the client to permanent employees, such as allowances, expense reimbursements, travel time, travel time, working from home, and year-end bonuses. With the ABU collective labor agreement, which stipulates equal employment conditions, other matters are also added: think of a company car, regulations regarding study/training, or disability benefits – previously regulated separately for temporary workers through the temporary employment agency collective labor agreement.

Phase A, in particular, is essential for many contact centers: it offers temporary workers the (legal) option to terminate a contract without notice or continued pay. This makes it economically feasible for contact centers to handle a fluctuating workload—from campaigns to unpredictable peaks. Contact centers also use temporary employment agencies to recruit new employees—thus serving as a recruitment and selection channel.

Why are temporary workers becoming more expensive?

Contact center personnel costs have already risen significantly in recent years. If political parties and unions have their way, the statutory minimum wage will increase further in the near future. The new collective labor agreement for temporary staffing companies adds to this. First, the new rules standardize primary employment conditions. In addition to standardizing hourly wages, pension costs will also increase: Pension premium for StiPP rises to 23,4% and applies from day one. A commonly used premium distribution is 15,9% for the employer and 7,5% for the temporary worker. StiPP is the pension fund for the temporary employment and secondment sector.

Broadly speaking, the new ABU collective labor agreement generally covers approximately 80% of the hirer's remuneration; the difference will mainly be in the remaining regulations.

Hiring companies will also face challenges from temporary employment agencies that increase their conversion factors, as their administrative burdens and risks increase significantly. The conversion factor used is expected to vary from client to client.

Implications of the new collective labor agreement for temporary employment agencies for in-house contact centers

For in-house contact centers, the company's own collective bargaining agreement will also apply to temporary workers. The details of this agreement may vary by sector. Companies with gilded collective bargaining agreements will see the largest cost increases. There are possibilities within the collective bargaining agreement to implement some conditions differently, provided the total package is at least equivalent and disadvantages for essential conditions within that category are compensated. It is recommended to clearly discuss this with the temporary employment agencies you work with.

In any case, from next year onwards, the costs of flexible deployment of personnel will be primarily determined by the company's own collective labor agreement.

Facility contact centers

For facility contact centers, the financial impact may be limited, but so too are their options for passing on higher costs for temporary workers. Conversion factors can vary per client due to varying compensation packages. Their clients have already faced rate adjustments more often recently due to the biannual increases in the statutory minimum wage. Proposals from unions and politicians to further increase the minimum wage to 18 euros further widen the gap with low-wage countries. The "wage cost advantage" factor will no longer be included in the business case for the use of temporary workers. Contact center managers will have to redraw their capacity plans. Those experiencing high staff turnover will feel even greater budgetary pressure starting in January.

Fewer options to organize flexibility

For in-house and facility contact centers, the scope for organizing flexibility is decreasing. Rapid scaling up and down is becoming more expensive. The legal basis under the ABU collective labor agreement (alignment of employment conditions) will come when the Flex Workers Security Act is implemented – the fall of the Schoof Cabinet delayed its implementation. postponedThen, effective January 1, 2027, the law will also shorten the period before someone must be offered a permanent contract: phase B will increase from 3 to 2 years. Furthermore, the option of using on-call staff will be eliminated. This reduces the flexible pool a contact center can draw from.

When the new law takes effect, phase A will still last 52 weeks, but a five-year interruption period will apply after three temporary contracts. This means an employee will no longer be able to start phase A again with the same agency after six months.

In addition, workplace problems can arise when companies do business with multiple staffing agencies. They have some leeway to tailor their employee benefits packages to their own preferences, as long as the total value remains the same.

What are the options for contact centers?

Not only staffing agencies need to partially reinvent themselves, but contact center managers also need to start thinking differently. Those who don't want to passively wait for higher (personnel) costs can adjust several levers.

• Optimizing workforce management, for example, by working more data-driven and forecasting and routing more precisely and/or intelligently. This can reduce the need for flexibility.
• As an employer, with fellow companies or with employment agencies, set up pools of trained employees who work on the basis of mix/max contracts.
• As a hiring company, consider new forms of collaboration or contracts with temporary employment agencies, such as shared risk/shared revenue models where lower turnover leads to a lower fee, or bonuses for sustainable placement.
• Reduce turnover costs by investing in employee retention.
• Choosing offshoring, whether or not exclusively for overflows.

In conversation and negotiation

Employers in customer contact who do business with staffing agencies have undoubtedly been in discussions with their HR business partners and HR service providers in recent months. Employers should be aware that staffing agencies may be overwhelmed by the administrative complexity or choose to specialize extensively. In the latter area, there are opportunities for staffing agencies, which can choose to serve specific sectors or provide specific competencies. Staffing agencies can also advise on employment conditions or help optimize benefits packages.

Incidentally, at the time of publication of this article, the ABU collective labor agreement has not yet been declared generally binding, but according to insiders, the chance of this happening is high.

Action points for the contact center manager

• Map your flexible workforce – identify each employee's channel of work (temporary employment agency, payroll, on-call) and their phase (A/B/C). This will determine your remaining flexibility after January 1st. Coordinate with your temporary employment partners on equal employment conditions – check whether the agency will fully comply with your organization's terms of employment (hired-party remuneration + benefits) starting January 1st, 2026. This will prevent disputes about wages, leave, and allowances.
• Submit a complete overview of employment conditions to your temporary employment partners via Wijzerbelonen.nl (SUGB) by Q4 2025/Q1 2026 at the latest to prevent delays and incorrect allocations. The ABU has developed an online standard form for this purpose.
• Recalculate the cost of your capacity – ask your staffing providers for their new conversion factor or rate structure under the 2026 collective labor agreement. Use this information to revise your budget, rates, and any service level agreements with clients.
• Adjust your WFM and capacity mix – determine which roles will remain permanently staffed by permanent or min/max contractors, and which tasks will continue to be covered by a smaller, more expensive flexible workforce. Also consider annual hour standards or internal flex pools as alternatives to Phase A hiring.
• Create a transition plan for peaks and seasonal work – outline how you will manage seasonal peaks (such as December and summer) when Phase A staff are no longer available indefinitely. Consider combinations of (your own) flex pools, outsourcing, or nearshore capacity.

Finally

The move towards greater equality for temporary workers represents a shift in the staffing sector. With the full harmonization of permanent and temporary employees, the classic advantages of temporary employment disappear. Flexibility becomes more expensive, but quality, specialization, and partnership may gain importance.

Between now and January 1st, contact center managers and staffing agencies will have to do a lot of extra work. Contact centers will have to consider the role and importance of temporary workers in their operations. The fundamental need for flexibility within contact centers (and in other sectors) remains.

The conversation between staffing agencies and clients should primarily focus on how and when to deploy employees and what clients need in terms of flexibility, continuity, quality, and cost. This is the perfect opportunity for staffing agencies to redefine their added value.

(Ziptone/Erik Bouwer)

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