NS as an employer

NS is one of the largest employers in the Netherlands. We aspire to remain one of the most attractive employers in the country. In 2020, we came 14th in the top 15 of Intelligence Group's ranking of favourite employers (2020: 15th).

Recruitment

Over the past year, NS recruited 3,729 new employees, of whom approximately 3,190 were offered a permanent contract. 37% of all vacancies were filled by internal candidates (2020: 43%). In 2021, NS had a flexible layer of hired personnel that represented 5.3% of the workforce (2020: 4.7%).
In 2021, we filled 2,074 vacancies for people with vocational qualifications and 1,080 vacancies for graduates of applied sciences and research universities (2020: 1,155 and 879), including 266 guards, 467 train drivers and 84 Safety & Service staff. In 2021, were also hired 13 trainees and 12 operational management trainees. The hiring desk filled 593 temporary positions with hired professionals. We offered work placements for 524 students. Selection interviews were conducted in digital form in 2021, as in the previous year.
All new employees are offered an onboarding programme, including the online ‘100% NS Day’, which introduces them to the company and its people.