Opinion Poll on the Impact of Enforcement on Self-Employed Individuals

How do self-employed professionals perceive the impact of enforcement measures on bogus self-employment, and what are their views on the proposed legislation regarding Basic Disability Insurance for the Self-Employed and the Self-Employed Persons Act? We asked 1,275 professionals affiliated with HeadFirst Group this question in March 2026. See the results below.

by Gwen

Freelance IT professionals are benefiting from the explosive demand for AI skills

Demand for AI skills is growing 2.5 times faster in IT consulting projects than in permanent positions, and rates are following suit

Hoofddorp – AI skills such as vibe coding and prompt engineering are increasingly becoming a requirement in the skill sets of IT professionals. Since 2024, demand for AI skills in temporary assignments has risen by 161 percent. By comparison, demand for these skills has also grown significantly in ICT job postings, but by 65 percent. This is according to the latest edition of theTalent Monitor, a joint publication by HR tech service provider HeadFirst Group and labor market data specialistIntelligence Group.

Highest salaries for IT architect and management roles

Freelancers benefit not only from a wider range of AI assignments but also from higher hourly rates. Roles requiring AI expertise are among the highest-paying IT assignments. For example, enterprise architects earn an average of €127 per hour, followed by security architects (€125) and information managers (€122). These high rates are not an isolated phenomenon: in 2025, the average hourly rate for IT professionals will exceed €100 per hour for the first time. That represents a 4.7 percent increase compared to the previous year.

Geert-Jan Waasdorp, CEO of Intelligence Group: “Demand for AI skills is currently growing much faster in the temporary workforce market than in permanent positions. Organizations are increasingly turning to external professionals to develop and implement AI applications more quickly on a project basis. This makes the temporary workforce a key driver of innovation. And for professionals, AI knowledge and expertise lead to higher rates.”

Microservices and OpenShift are growing in popularity

In addition to AI, demand for other specialized IT skills among external professionals is also growing. Development and application skills, in particular, are seeing a sharp increase. For example, demand for microservices rose by 158 percent, while relational databases and the OpenShift container platform both increased by 128 percent.

At the same time, the contract market is becoming more competitive. Between the end of 2024 and the end of 2025, the number of contracts for external professionals has decreased by nearly 20 percent. The number of self-employed professionals has fallen by 8 percent over the same period, and 68 percent of all employed IT professionals now have permanent contracts—2 percent more than at the end of 2024.

“AI is transforming both the work of IT professionals and the way organizations hire talent,” says Marion van Happen, CEO of HeadFirst Group. “Organizations are looking for professionals who can immediately apply new technology to existing systems and processes. This presents enormous opportunities for freelancers and professionals employed by vendors, provided they continue to develop their specialized skills and clearly position themselves in the market.”

by Gwen

Saskia Kapper appointed Director of Customer Success at HeadFirst Group

New leadership addition strengthens customer focus and industry impact

HR tech service provider HeadFirst Group is expanding its leadership team with Saskia Kapper as Director of Customer Success, effective March 2, 2026. In this role, she will be responsible for the Customer Success team, including sector-focused teams, MSP operations, solutions design & implementation, and SOW & services procurement. She will ensure that customers receive optimal service, customer value is increased, and tailor-made solutions are delivered, while strengthening commercial growth and customer satisfaction.

Investing in customer focus and technology

The appointment of Saskia Kapper fits within HeadFirst Group's broader strategy: investing in leadership, customer focus, and technology to create maximum impact. With an open and scalable platform and a European leadership structure, the organization aims to be a leader in workforce solutions and help organizations work faster, smarter, and more effectively. "With Kapper's arrival, we are once again strengthening our leadership in the Netherlands," says Allard van Dam, Country Manager Netherlands at HeadFirst Group. "Since I started at the beginning of this year, we have been working hard to build a team that is customer-focused, future-proof, and technologically advanced. Kapper's experience and vision fit in perfectly with this and will help us to further realize our ambition as a market leader in workforce solutions."

Kapper adds: "I look forward to leading the Customer Success team and supporting our customers in a strategic way. It's about delivering solutions that really make a difference, deepening customer relationships, and ensuring that every customer gets the most out of our products, services, and industry expertise. Together, we enable organizations and professionals to deploy their talent faster, smarter, and more effectively."

Extensive experience and proven leadership

Kapper brings more than 20 years of experience in HR, recruitment, and workforce solutions. She began her career at Randstad and then worked at StarJob and Tempo-Team, where she managed teams and strategic accounts. At Hero Business Solutions and later Hero Interim Professionals, she held several leadership roles, including Director and Chief Commercial Officer, where she was responsible for commercial growth, strategic partnerships, and innovation in HR processes. Since March 2024, Kapper has also been chair of the Bovib trade association, where she represents the interests of intermediaries and brokers and helps advance the sector.

With this experience and ambition in mind, Kapper is now making the move to HeadFirst Group. "I chose HeadFirst Group because it is the perfect place to apply my experience in HR, strategy, and customer-focused leadership on a large scale," says Kapper. "The ambition, technology, and focus on customer impact are fully in line with how I want to help organizations move forward."

By Natasja Spooren-Wassenaar

Allard van Dam appointed Country Manager Netherlands at HeadFirst Group

HeadFirst Group strengthens leadership in the Netherlands and accelerates impact on the labor market

On January 19, 2026, Allard van Dam started as Country Manager Netherlands at HR tech service provider HeadFirst Group. In this role, he leads the Dutch operation and strengthens the organization to better connect talent, technology, and organizations.

European structure, maximum impact

Organizations are facing a new reality: data, technology, and collaboration determine how talent is deployed today and tomorrow. For HeadFirst Group, this is the moment to make an impact. With Allard at the helm of the Dutch operation, the organization is accelerating its ambition to better connect organizations and professionals as a market leader and be ready for further growth.

We are also seeing technology playing an increasingly important role in better serving the labor market within the sector. "As market leader, we feel a responsibility to continue to take the lead in this area and to work together to move the sector forward," says CEO Marion van Happen. "Our European leadership structure enables us to combine commercial clout, operational expertise, and talent management even more effectively. Allard will continue to expand the Dutch operation, while I, as CEO, will continue to lead the strategic course and international growth in Europe. In this way, we ensure that technology, sector knowledge, and collaboration have maximum impact for our clients and professionals."

Back to roots and proven experience

Van Dam returns to his roots in HR and recruitment, bringing with him extensive experience in leadership roles at organizations such as Randstad, Synergie, and Vermaat. This background allows him to combine strategic insight, operational leadership, and sector knowledge, making him ideally suited to further grow HeadFirst Group in the Netherlands and connect it with the European operation.

Allard's appointment fits in with HeadFirst Group's broader vision: investing in leadership, structure, and technology to increase impact and better serve the labor market. By combining commercial clout, operational expertise, and innovation, HeadFirst Group is building a future-proof model that helps organizations work faster, smarter, and more effectively. "The HR market is evolving towards more control, collaboration, and smart technology. HeadFirst Group is already playing a leading role in this," says Van Dam. "I look forward to working with colleagues, customers, and partners to build solutions that really make a difference."

By Natasja Spooren-Wassenaar

HeadFirst Group retains Gold EcoVadis rating and rises to top 3% worldwide

At HeadFirst Group, we believe that sustainability is not a trend, but a responsibility. Not only towards our clients and professionals, but also towards the world around us. Thanks to our structural ESG policy and concrete actions, we have retained our Gold EcoVadis rating and our score has even risen to 81 points this year. This puts us among the top 3% of companies worldwide.

EcoVadis, the global standard for sustainability assessments, applied stricter criteria this year. As a result, many companies saw their scores drop. Not us. On the contrary: our score rose from 74 to 81 points. This result shows that our ESG policy is not only solid, but also future-proof.

What is behind that score?

We score highly on the Environment theme: with 90 out of 100 points, we are the leader in carbon management. This is no coincidence: we have ambitious CO₂ reduction targets and a concrete action plan, ranging from energy audits to the reuse of IT hardware and the purchase of green electricity. We report transparently, including Scope 1, 2, and 3 emissions, and have our figures verified externally. Measurable impact, not empty promises.

We also demonstrate our values in the area of social responsibility. We are a Great Place to Work, invest in diversity and well-being, and offer fair opportunities for everyone. Governance is firmly established, with clear frameworks for ethics, information security, and responsible supply chain management. Supported by international quality and safety standards. Our next challenge lies in our supply chain: further embedding sustainable procurement. The foundations have been laid, now we are going to take it to the next level.

B Corp certification

Earlier this year, we also became a B Corp, a milestone that confirms that our commitment to people, the environment, and transparency is deeply embedded in our organization. While EcoVadis measures our performance on four ESG themes, B Lab assesses organizations holistically on their overall social impact. The assessment is rigorous: organizations are extensively evaluated in five areas (governance, employees, environment, customers, and community) and must score at least 80 points in the B Impact Assessment. We succeeded. In fact, our certification shows that we are structurally working to make a positive impact and take responsibility for all stakeholders. For us, B Corp status is not an end goal, but an obligation to continue to improve.

Sustainability as a guiding principle

At HeadFirst Group, sustainability is not a separate project, but the common thread running through our strategy. We work with recognized standards and certifications, monitor our carbon footprint, and actively involve our suppliers in our sustainability goals. In this way, we build sustainable value for today and tomorrow.

And why are we doing this? Because we believe that a fair labor market, transparency, and a healthy planet go hand in hand. With our improved EcoVadis score and B Corp status, we are setting a course for a future in which sustainable choices and social responsibility are a matter of course. We invite everyone to join us.

View our official EcoVadis recognition here
Read more about our B Corp status here

Do you have questions about this post? Feel free to contact us through one of our colleagues.

Natasja Spooren-Wassenaar
Manager Communications
natasja.spooren-wassenaar@headfirst.nl

Thomas ten Veldhuijs
Senior Legal Counsel
thomas.tenVeldhuijs@headfirst.nl

Gemma Keijzer
Head of Quality & Compliance
gemma.Keijzer@headfirst.nl

Skip Saegaert
SROI Coordinator
skip.Saegaert@headfirst.nl

by benthe

Take the robot out of the human

Marijn van de Poel is Managing Director of Ciphix. This innovative company's mission is "Take the robot out of the human. "With some 60 specialists, we automate as many routine tasks and cognitive decisions for our clients as possible," explains Marijn. "Using Hyperautomation technologies such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Artificial Intelligence (AI), Process Mining and Low-Code, we develop 'digital assistants', so that our clients' employees can focus on more important and more interesting aspects of their work."

"The latter is crucial. Everyone is struggling with staff shortages nowadays, so it's a real waste if you let well-qualified employees spend time on repetitive work. People are much happier if they can work on new challenges and customer requests. It's what stimulates and inspires them. If people spend less time on routine jobs, the work will be fun and interesting, and they will enjoy working for you. That's what we aim for at Ciphix."

Balance between tech and touch

Marijn explains how this works in practice, describing the first digital assistants Ciphix introduced at HeadFirst Group. "HeadFirst Group handles tens of thousands of hiring transactions every year. A complex process involves an application, publication, matching, and finally a contract. In 2022, with the help of digital assistant Benthe, we fully automated the uploading of assignments. The process is flawless and much faster, and recruiters now have more time left for the matching process itself. It really creates a better balance between tech and touch, as they call it at HeadFirst Group."

Streamer

"The process is flawless and much faster, and recruiters now have more time left for the matching process itself."

Bring human into the robot

"Together with HeadFirst Group, we're already looking ahead. For example, we're considering ways in which AI could make faster and smarter analyses of the data in applications and CVs, supporting recruiters in terms of content. It's just one of the possibilities, and the great thing is that HeadFirst Group is completely in the lead. Our technical solutions can help you achieve your goals, but you do need to have the mindset to want to work differently."

"So why do we use personal names? That's a very deliberate choice, because it helps us to make our solutions more recognizable and bring a bit of the 'human into the robot'. New software with a techy name doesn't mean much to most people. No one likes SAP or Office, but everyone loves Benthe!"

by Jeroen van Kleinwee

IceLake Capital backs HeadFirst Group as investment partner to accelerate future growth

HeadFirst Group, the leading HR-tech service provider for professionals in the Benelux, announces it has reached an agreement with IceLake Capital to join as the new investor to enable expansion of HeadFirst Group in Europe.

HeadFirst Group delivers a suite of HR services that tailor to the needs of large and mid-size enterprise clients in the private and public sector, with over 20,000 highly skilled professionals active daily. The company has a proven track record of strong organic as well as M&A growth, doubling its size over the past two years to over two billion revenue today. Also HeadFirst Group's core market segments Managed Service Providers (MSP) and sourcing of STEM-profiles, continue to show positive momentum. With an established presence in the Benelux, the company sees ample opportunities to expand in Europe. With IceLake's commitment, there is solid financing in place to realize these ambitions.

Financing for growth
In IceLake, HeadFirst Group has found a pragmatic and very ambitious shareholder that suits the company and its entrepreneurial culture. IceLake was founded by experienced private equity professionals and entrepreneurs who have extensive experience with building and growing companies. IceLake's initial investment is part of a broader funding commitment towards the HeadFirst Group international M&A roadmap.

Han Kolff, Chairman of the Board of HeadFirst Group, said, "We are very pleased to welcome IceLake as a strong financial investor, next to our existing financing partner Kartesia and our founders. It is testament to the great achievements of our employees in professionalizing our organization and realizing solid growth in the past years. Having IceLake on board, we will be able to realize our strategic goals across Europe."

Bastiaan Hagenouw of IceLake added: "We are very excited to back HeadFirst Group, as we appreciate how they have developed into a company with a unique and market leading position in the HR services space. We look forward to working with their experienced board and management team to realise their ambitions and providing its innovative, value-added solutions to an even wider range of clients, suppliers and professionals."

Jean Diercxsens, Director at Kartesia, agrees: "We have seen HeadFirst Group more than double in size and profitability during the two years that we have been involved as financial sponsor and remain committed to be part of this journey. Kartesia is delighted with IceLake as the new investor, which will allow HeadFirst Group to pursue its profitable growth and international expansion."

The transaction is subject to customary competition approvals.

About HeadFirst Group
HeadFirst Group is a leading, international HR-tech service provider and the largest platform for professionals in the Netherlands. The organization offers a wide range of HR solutions, such as Managed Service Providing, Recruitment Process Outsourcing, IT Sourcing & Recruitment and HR consultancy. Daily, more than twenty thousand professionals work for over five hundred clients in Europe, with which HeadFirst Group realizes an annual turnover of over two billion euros. The main brands of HeadFirst Group are MSP (including intermediary services) labels HeadFirst, Between and Staffing Management Services, RPO and recruitment specialist Sterksen and IT talent sourcer StarApple.

About IceLake
Icelake is a private equity firm which focuses on partnering with entrepreneurs and management teams to support their (international) growth ambitions.

About Kartesia
Kartesia provides bespoke credit & capital solutions to leading mid-market companies headquartered in Europe. The group manages over EUR 5 billion and operates out of local offices across Europe.

By Natasja Spooren-Wassenaar

HeadFirst Group acquires successful IT talent sourcer StarApple

HR technology service provider HeadFirst Group Adds StarApple Group, consisting the brandsStarAppleandStackOps, to its organization. Both companies are specialized in sourcing IT and digital specialists. HeadFirst Group hereby takes another step in strengthening its portfolio of solutions for workforce challenges in the professionals segment: the current high-tech solutions of HeadFirst Group are enriched with the services with a great human touch of StarApple Group.

StarApple Group, is an ambitious and young organization, founded in 2008 and since then grown into a successful IT talent sourcer. StarApple Group has already successfully connected more than 10,000 specialists to a variety of organizations. Caner Hamamioglu, General Director at StarApple Group: "Growing talent is our mission. We do this by carefully connecting professionals from our network to assignments, where professionals not only do what they have done before with other clients, but are also challenged to take a step forward in their development. Design your career, is how we call it. With the collaboration with HeadFirst Group, we can do this on an even larger scale and we are looking forward to that tremendously."

Responding to dynamic market

HeadFirst Group foresees that combining various services is necessary to continue to solve all client issues in the current dynamic global job market. Marion van Happen, CEO at HeadFirst Group: "The scarcity will not disappear in the coming years. This requires creativity in opening up the market. We believe that combining high-tech solutions with services with a great human touch is the key to customer success. For us, those customers are both clients - who we continuously provide with mission critical talent - and professionals, who we actively help from assignment to assignment with the most attractive clients."

StarApple Group remains independent

StarApple will become an independent brand within HeadFirst Group, retaining its own identity. The current management will continue to lead the organization in its growth strategy into the future. amamioglu: "HeadFirst Group will be the driving force behind StarApple. With our enthusiastic team of over eighty colleagues, we will continue to offer a full service recruitment solution for our clients and professionals. And we get access to the group's platform, which gives us extra power to realize our growth ambitions."

About HeadFirst Group

HeadFirst Group is a leading international HR service provider and a specialist in the professional organization of external hiring. The company offers a variety of HR-solutions, including contracting, matchmaking, MSP-services, and business consultancy. Daily, more than fifteen thousand professionals work for over four hundred clients in Europe, with which HeadFirst Group realizes an annual turnover of more than €1.5bn. HeadFirst Group's main brands are intermediaries HeadFirst, Between, recruitment specialists Sterksen and Myler and managed service provider Staffing Management Services.

About StarApple Group

StarApple is an ambitious and young organization, founded in 2008 and since then it has grown into a successful IT talent sourcer. In 2018, a second brand was established in the form of StackOps, specializing in the mediation of professionals in IT infrastructure, cloud and security. With a team of more than eighty colleagues, StarApple and StackOps offer full service recruitment solutions for our clients and professionals. Together they have successfully connected more than 10,000 specialists to hundreds of organizations.

Note to editors

Do you have any questions or comments regarding this press release? Please contact Bart van der Geest, marketing & communications manager at HeadFirst Group, on 023 - 568 56 30 or bart.vandergeest@headfirst.nl.

by Youri Snip

Talent Monitor: Forecast tariff development professionals 2022

Labor market data specialist Intelligence Group has developed a unique rate prediction model, which includes data from HeadFirst Group. At the end of 2021 we presented the first prediction, which has started an annual tradition.

Download the report

On average, highly educated professionals will earn 5% more.

Self-employed persons without employees and agencies that second professionals will probably raise their fees considerably in 2022. On average, highly educated professionals will be able to raise their hourly rates by 5 percent in 2022. The highest increases are expected in vocational professions, with machine fitters expected to make the greatest wage jump - they will most likely earn 44.6% more. The average wage increase is expected to amount to 7 percent across the entire workforce, ranging from those with vocational training to those with higher education Read the entire press release here.

Key findings

Fees are expected to rise by 7% on average in 2022. Fees charged by highly educated professionals are expected to rise by 5%, while fees charged by professionals working in more vocational and operational jobs (blue collar workers) are expected to rise by at least 7%.
If we focus on the professionals' segment, we see that the only professionals for whom no fee increases are expected are logistics managers, librarians and curators. While the former do have a profession that is in demand, they are less in demand than last year. The greatest fee rises are expected for electrical engineers, sales and marketing managers, IT managers, database and network specialists, architects and engineering and forestry technicians.
If we consider the more practical and operational segment, we see that only independent bus and streetcar drivers are expected to see their income reduced slightly (-1.1%). The greatest pay rises are expected for machine fitters, plumbers and pipe fitters, carpenters, electricians and electrical fitters, assembly workers, farmers and foresters, welders and platers and lorry drivers.
Pay rises are mostly due to a constant, year-on-year increase of 1.8%. Such increases may largely seem to be due to inflation, but that is not always the reason. Increases or decreases in the number of outstanding vacancies in the profession also play a role. Fees fluctuate along with fluctuations in the number of outstanding vacancies, i.e. as the market becomes tighter or slacker. Together, these two factors explain the level of variance in the forecasting model for up to 90.6%.

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by Jeroen van Kleinwee

Talent Monitor: Extreme labor market tightness

At present, Total Talent Management (TTM) and labor market tightness seem to go hand in hand. So after focusing on TTM in the first issue of the Talent Monitor, we thought we might as well focus on labor market tightness in the second issue. In this issue, we provide an in-depth analysis of this trend, as well as unique insights based on Intelligence Group's recruitment data and HeadFirst Group's hiring data.

Download the report

For the first time in history, the flexible work market is extremely tight.

For quite a while, organizations were fortunate in that they could fill any vacancies for staff on permanent contracts with temporary, external workers. That time is over now. The flexible work market, like the rest of the labor market, is subject to pervasive tightness. Read the entire press release here

The fees commanded by self-employed persons without employees are rising, even though inflation is at its highest point.

While inflation rates in the Netherlands are at a 20-year high, a sharp distinction can be observed in the wages earned by employees on a contract and the fees charged by self-employed persons without employees. This latter group can significantly raise their fees, while the wages paid to employees on a contract as specified in the applicable collective labor agreements are lagging behind the development of prices.