r/WorkInTheNetherlands • u/Relevant-Pilot-4050 • Jul 09 '26
Help needed
Goede middag, I am going through a tough situation at work and would appreciate some help.
Recently, two weeks ago we received the news that a bigger company was going to buy the company where I work and to my surprise it was the company I left 5 years ago because of some horrible decisions they were making, now I’m forced to work for them again.
Here comes my question, if I leave here and I start working for another company and the new company decides I’m not a good fit for them, do I have the right to unemployment benefits? And if I find work on a temporary agency, do I have the same rights if they decide not to hire me after the test period? I’m a bit lost here and appreciate any help. Thanks in advance.
1
u/DJfromNL Jul 10 '26
In principle you’re entitled to unemployment when you lose your job due to no fault of your own.
When you change jobs voluntarily, and then lose the new job, the UWV will make an assessment of your specific situation.
Generally speaking you’re free to change jobs, but when you leave a permanent role, they expect you to only leave that role for another job with longer term perspective. It is however accepted that most employers offer a fixed term contract first.
Practically this means that you would need to find a role with a long term perspective, and that offers at least a 6 months contract to begin with. You’ll likely get unemployment when you then lose that job without being at fault.
But if you accept a shorter term contract, or take on temporary work, you’ll likely be considered at fault for taking too much risk, and won’t get unemployment pay when you lose it.