The number of identified victims of labour exploitation in the Netherlands increased by 13% in 2025, according to the study by the national human trafficking coordinator Conny Rijken.
In agriculture, forestry and fishing, Poles are the second largest national group among the reported victims, after the Romanians.
On Friday, the public broadcaster of NOS reported that the number of reports of worker exploitation in Dutch catering and hotel manufacture doubled, while in agriculture, forestry and fisheries nearly tripled.
Rijken pointed out that labour exploitation frequently involves many hours of work, underpaid wages, mediocre accommodation conditions and the usage of threats, force or fraud against employees.
In her opinion, it is peculiarly hard to control working conditions in agriculture, where workers frequently stay in distant locations. In contrast, in gastronomy, the usage of workers may stay unnoticed due to a limited number of night checks.
The study besides points to a tiny number of criminal proceedings. In 2025, the Dutch Labour Inspectorate initiated 57 investigations into worker exploitation, but only 10 cases were transferred to the D.A.
Rijken estimated that the perpetrators had besides small criminal responsibility. She besides criticised the practice of imposing only financial penalties on employers, which do not supply victims with the position of victims of trafficking in human beings or the resulting protection.
AB, PAP
