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.
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.”
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."
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."
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.
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
Want to get a grip on hiring? Discover our smart strategies!
Newsletter 03-04-2025
Hiring experts share insights, figures and experience at 'Grip op Inhuur' event
How do you keep control of hiring when everything is changing faster and faster? Simple: with better data, strategic hiring becomes a lot easier. During the 'Grip op Inhuur'-event, which we organized in cooperation with Nevi, experts shared valuable insights, figures and practical experiences. Want to know how well your external hiring is regulated?
Despite zzp decline, assignment platform Striive continues to grow
The Chamber of Commerce saw fewer self-employed start-ups and more quitting entrepreneurs in December 2024. Still, the number of registrations with our platform Striive grew by more than 8,500 professionals and suppliers in the fourth quarter.
Balance between rules and protection WTTA disputed
The WTTA is supposed to curb abuses in the staffing industry, but may become too bureaucratic, according to critics. The March 12 parliamentary debate showed division over market regulation and protection of migrant workers.
Hourly rates continue to lag behind collective bargaining wages in 2024
The hourly rates of flexible workers rose an average of 3.6% in 2024 compared to 2023. This increase lags behind average collective bargaining wage increases and the rate increase of (practically skilled) self-employed workers. A limited rate increase is expected for 2025, between 1 and 1.5%.
Hourly rates continue to lag behind collective bargaining wages in 2024
The hourly rates of flexible workers rose an average of 3.6% in 2024 compared to 2023. This increase lags behind average collective bargaining wage increases and the rate increase of (practically skilled) self-employed workers. A limited rate increase is expected for 2025, between 1 and 1.5%.
Would you also like to receive our newsletter?
Sign up and stay up-to-date on legislation, hourly rates, tenders and other important topics within our industry.
