Municipalities and provinces have almost halved their flexible workforce in four years. In 2022, 13% of theoretically educated workers in this sector worked as self-employed professionals or seconded workers. That figure has now fallen to just 7%. The number of assignments also declined sharply. At the beginning of 2026, it was approximately 40% lower than four years earlier.

You might expect some of these professionals to have moved into salaried employment. However, the figures provide little evidence of this. Only 4% of self-employed professionals working in local and provincial government are open to salaried employment, while as many as 59% explicitly state that they do not want to become employees.

The reduction in flexible workers is clearly visible

Local and provincial government differs significantly from the national picture. Across the overall market, the share of flexible workers fell from 22% at the end of 2024 to 18% in the second quarter of 2026.

This trend is also visible in the assignment market. The number of assignments in this sector was approximately 40% lower in the first quarter of 2026 than in the same period in 2022. This clearly shows that opportunities for external professionals at municipalities and provinces have become more limited.

Salaried employment has become hardly any more attractive to this group

Nationwide, approximately 13% of self-employed professionals are open to returning to salaried employment, a percentage that has remained relatively stable in recent years. In local and provincial government, willingness is considerably lower. Only 4% are considering a move to salaried employment, the lowest percentage of all sectors studied. The decline in external hiring in this sector therefore does not automatically lead to greater interest in permanent employment.

Experienced professionals make up a large share of the flexible workforce

There is another factor to consider. A large proportion of external professionals working at municipalities and provinces are highly experienced. As many as 67% have more than ten years of work experience and therefore fall into the senior category. In addition, 54% of professionals are aged 45 or older. Local and provincial government therefore has a relatively experienced flexible workforce.

The reduction therefore affects more than just the number of external professionals. Municipalities and provinces are making less use of a group with extensive specialist knowledge and years of experience. This does not necessarily pose a problem when that knowledge is available internally. The situation changes when an organisation temporarily needs expertise that is not available within its existing workforce. Consider specialist knowledge for projects, organisational change initiatives or complex policy issues. The discussion is therefore not just about how many flexible workers you engage, but also about which expertise you want to keep available on a flexible basis.

Central and local government are moving in different directions

The comparison with central government is also striking. The share of flexible workers there stands at 11%. This is lower than the peak of 13% in mid-2025, but still considerably higher than the 7% recorded at municipalities and provinces.

Hourly rates also differ. At central government level, the average hourly rate exceeds €111. In local and provincial government, it is just over €102. These differences show that 'government' is not a uniform hiring market. Availability, rates and the size of the flexible workforce develop differently across the various parts of the public sector.

Less flexible work calls for more informed decisions

A smaller flexible workforce changes the questions organisations need to ask. Not just: how many external professionals do we want to engage? But above all: which areas of expertise do we want to retain access to externally? This requires distinguishing between activities that belong permanently within the organisation and expertise that is needed temporarily. What knowledge will you need in the coming years? Is it available internally? And how scarce is this expertise outside your organisation?

The figures from the latest Talent Monitor show why this assessment is becoming increasingly important. Municipalities and provinces are significantly reducing their flexible workforce, while self-employed professionals show little interest in moving into salaried employment. As a result, this knowledge does not automatically transfer to the permanent workforce.

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