NS as an employer

Being a good employer is one of NS's strategic spearheads. We want to be a good employer for all our people, irrespective of whether they are on a permanent or flexible contract. We offer them a competitive terms of employment package. We strive for equality in all respects - as is reflected, for instance, in the equal payment we offer men and women, in our proactive diversity policy, and in the many long-term participatory jobs and great opportunities we offer for asylum permit holders. NS is one of the largest and most popular employers in the Netherlands, and we are working hard to ensure we retain that position. Every year, Intelligence Group publishes a list of the most popular employers in the Netherlands: NS came in 12th in 2022 (in 2021: 14th).

Recruitment

NS had a large number of vacancies in 2022: 3,628 at vocational education level and 3,420 at higher professional or university education level. We received 50,938 letters of application and found suitable candidates for 5,162 positions. Of these, 68% are new colleagues; the others are existing colleagues from elsewhere within the organisation. We offered placements for 29 trainees and the hiring desk recruited 640 external professionals for assignments.

Due to shortages on the labour market and higher levels of sickness absence, NS was confronted with increasing shortages of employees, including train guards, train drivers, Safety & Service officers and retail staff. To fill all vacancies we staged recruitment campaigns in the mass media and offered internal awards for those who introduced new colleagues. We also launched a new recruitment website and lowered the threshold for applicants. Last year, thanks to these actions we managed to attract 350 main guards, 487 train drivers, 119 Safety & Service officers and 1,721 retail staff.