Hiring construction workers? Choose the right recruitment agency on these 7 points

You have a project that needs to start in two weeks and you are three people short. Calling a recruitment agency is the quickest route. However, the agency that delivers the fastest today is not automatically the one you will still be happy with in a year's time.

Hiring construction staff goes further than just a name on a placement confirmation. As a client, you are co-responsible for part of what happens behind the scenes. In this blog, you will read about the 7 points you need to look out for so you choose a partner that helps your project move forward.

1. Does the agency really know construction?

You can already notice the difference during the intake. An agency that knows construction does not only ask how many people you need, but also what kind of work it is, which certificates are required on that construction site and whether it involves indoor or outdoor work.

A generalist agency places people. A specialised agency places a plasterboard fitter who knows how to finish a metal stud wall tightly.

Tip: ask further. For which fields do you have your own database, and how many placements do you make in them per year? The answer says more than any brochure.

2. Is the administration demonstrably in order?

This is where the biggest financial risk lies. Under recipient's liability (inlenersaansprakelijkheid), you can be held liable for payroll taxes and VAT that the agency has failed to pay. If the agency goes bankrupt, the Tax Authority can come knocking on your door.

What you should look out for:

1. SNA quality mark. The agency is periodically assessed on matters such as payroll administration and the payment of taxes and social security contributions. Always check this yourself in the public SNA register, and not just based on a logo on the website.

2. G-account. By paying part of the invoice into a blocked account (g-rekening), you limit your risk.

3. Clear invoices. Traceable to person, project, hours and rate.

3. How is the agency preparing for the Wtta?

From 1 January 2027, the admission system from the Labour Market Placement Admission Act (Wet toelating terbeschikkingstelling van arbeidskrachten), or Wtta for short, will apply. From that moment on, suppliers must be admitted to be allowed to provide personnel. Clients are only allowed to work with agencies that are on that list. The Labour Authority (Arbeidsinspectie) will start enforcing this from 1 January 2028.

For you as a construction company, that means two things. Ask your regular agencies now how they are preparing. And keep in mind that agencies that do not have their affairs in order today will fall by the wayside later. That is exactly the moment you will be left with a gap in your planning, right in the middle of an ongoing project.

4. How is the accommodation arranged?

If you work with skilled workers from abroad, accommodation is not a minor detail. Poor accommodation results in dissatisfied people, turnover on your project and damage to your reputation. Moreover, the attention of regulators has increased significantly in recent years.

Therefore, ask specifically: where are the people staying, how many people per room, is it inspected according to the applicable standard and how is transport to the construction site arranged? An agency that has a clear answer to this right away has really thought about it.

5. Do you get a single point of contact?

When there is a disruption in planning, you want to call one number and get an answer straight away. Not be forwarded to a department that does not know your project.

A fixed contact person who knows your company, your way of working and your construction sites saves more time in practice than a few cents off the hourly rate.

6. What exactly is included in the rate?

Agency rates are often expressed as a markup factor on the hourly wage. This factor includes, among other things, employer costs, holiday pay, holidays, sickness risk and the agency's costs.

Therefore, never just compare base rates, but ask what is and is not included:

• are travel hours and mileage included?

• who pays for tools, work clothes and PPE?

• does a surcharge apply for overtime, weekends or shift work?

• what happens in the event of illness, and who arranges the replacement?

• is there a takeover policy if you want to hire someone directly, and under what conditions?

Tip: a rate that is strikingly low almost always means that something is not being paid somewhere. And that risk ultimately lies more often with you than with the agency.

7. Agency work, secondment or hiring self-employed (zzp)?

Briefly summarised:

• Agency work suits peaks, replacement and projects with an uncertain lead time. Maximum flexibility, with the agency acting as the employer.

• Secondment suits longer projects where you want to keep the same people on the project for a longer period of time.

• Hiring a self-employed professional (zzp) is possible, but since the active enforcement on false self-employment, it requires more attention to how the cooperation is actually set up. Think of authority, replaceability and own equipment.

Not sure which form suits your project? That is exactly the conversation you should have beforehand, and not afterwards.

Summary

Choosing a good recruitment agency is not done on speed alone. Look at specialisation, demonstrable certification, preparation for the Wtta, accommodation and what is actually included in the rate.

If you go through these points beforehand, you will avoid exactly the surprises that you least want in the middle of a project.

Need staff for your project?

We supply skilled workers in construction, from bricklayers and carpenters to roofers, steel fixers and cladding installers. Over 800 placements per year, accommodation and transport arranged, and one fixed point of contact who knows your project.

Request staff or first view our working method for employers. Feel free to call, even if you just want to bounce some ideas around about the staffing of a project.

Frequently asked questions