Maarten Camps (UWV): ‘A different mindset is needed’

Perhaps most striking in the figures, however, is the increase in the number of young people applying for a disability assessment, ‘and these are relatively often women under the age of forty. It is not without reason that the Council for Public Health and Society warned in a recent report about a ‘hyper-nervous’ society, ‘in which performance pressure, acceleration, and individualism seriously threaten the well-being of young and old alike’. Work pressure is not the only cause of absenteeism, but the UWV (Employee Insurance Agency) is struggling with the consequences regardless. Camps readily acknowledges that the organization he has been leading since 2020 cannot cope with the workload this entails. ‘We simply do not have enough capacity, particularly on the social-medical side. As a result, for several years now we have been dealing with large groups of people who have to wait too long for a WIA assessment and are therefore uncertain about their income. At the end of August, there were approximately 23,000 people waiting, and if nothing changes, we expect that number to rise to around 100,000 by the end of 2027. That is far too many. It is simply not acceptable’, he tells Deloitte partner John Schattorie.

The UWV (Employee Insurance Agency) is exploring whether public-private partnerships can make the assessment of work disability more efficient. What should that look like?
‘Under current legislation, our approximately four hundred insurance physicians play a key role. They are responsible for the assessment, and that takes a lot of time. Moreover, some of these physicians will retire in the coming years, and others will be leaving due to stricter enforcement of the DBA Act, The Employment Relationships Deregulation Act. Hiring new physicians is not easy. There are simply too few insurance physicians, and the healthcare sector, occupational health services, and the UWV are all fishing in the same pond.
To provide people with clarity more quickly, we want to explore whether collaborating with private parties that employ insurance and occupational health physicians – particularly occupational health services and insurers – can offer a solution. They already know the individuals before we even receive an application and submit reports along with that application. In situations where both the employee and employer agree, we now want to see whether these reports can be used by our physicians, thus avoiding a full new assessment. It would be beneficial for employees, as it means they would not have to repeat their story. It will also save us time if our professionals do not have to duplicate the work. We have, at least, the support of the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment to get started on this.’

Nevertheless, the insurance physicians will have to make the final decision. How do they view these plans?
‘They must, of course, be able to rely sufficiently on the information provided, so we will also establish preconditions for that. For example, we will first have to clearly define what exactly the insurance physician needs to be able to make a sound assessment of a person’s functional abilities. At the same time, we will need to create more uniformity in the working methods of our own professionals. We currently work in social-medical centers, where multidisciplinary teams work together to improve services. Standardization and simplification must take place there, among other things, by making it much clearer that part of the insurance physician's work is being delegated to other members of those teams. That too can lead to a reduction in waiting times.’

It would also, of course, help if the influx decreased because fewer people became unfit for work. Employers may not be able to do much about the ‘hyper-nervous’ society, but what could they do better?
‘Much more attention needs to be paid to preventing people becoming unfit for work and keeping people healthy and employed for longer. If you cannot keep people satisfied in their current workplace, you need to guide them towards another job, which could even be at a different company. It should become commonplace to talk to employees about whether they are still in the right place, not only when things are difficult, but especially when things are going well, whether or not this is apparent. It is not yet common enough to openly discuss the option of changing jobs or organizations. Ideally, this should happen somewhere mid-career, because a switch at sixty-three might well be too late.
By then, the investment in retraining is probably no longer worthwhile, or people lack the energy.
In practice, we see that many employees remain in a position where they are no longer able to perform well. This is not good for anyone. The employee is unhappy, and the employer has someone in their employ who is not performing optimally. There is a risk that the person will be dismissed and end up on unemployment benefits, or become ill and apply for disability benefits, which the employer will then have to contribute to. All of these outcomes are undesirable for employers, employees, and society as a whole.’

What role do you see for the UWV in this?
‘We can help employees navigate this new step in their careers. Large employers often have their own career centers, or at least the financial resources to support people in this regard. This certainly is not the case for small employers. Because most employers are small and medium-sized businesses, and that is where most people work, a very large group of employees therefore has insufficient access to this type of support. That is why we are now working with municipalities to set up regional Job Centers throughout the country, where everyone - including businesses - can easily seek support in finding other work, the right training, or suitable personnel.
There are currently nineteen regions with a Job Center, and the goal is to have thirty-five. Capacity is still limited, but we can already advise employers and employees on their competencies, their work and development opportunities, and the funds available to finance training and retraining. As we roll out these centers, we will also be more proactive in approaching companies and sectors to offer our services and explain what we can do for them.’

What does the UWV do to keep its own employees satisfied?
‘The people who work here are incredibly passionate about our goal: helping people to participate in society with jobs and incomes. We also have excellent facilities for flexible working and training, and we have an extensive leadership program. Unfortunately, many people are frustrated by the fact that our IT support is inadequate. As a result, we make mistakes, people sometimes have to wait longer than necessary, and employees become frustrated because they have to do things the computer should be doing for them.
We have been working to solve these problems for years and will be stepping up our efforts in the coming years, including by introducing a new way of implementing change, which we call the Change Engine. This should also help to retain people and keep them enthusiastic about their work.’

Is there a role for politics in the fight against the long waiting times for the WIA assessment?
‘It would help us at the UWV if we were allowed to grant people benefits at the beginning of the WIA process after a quick assessment and only determine the degree of incapacity for work definitively after about a year and a half, when we know that person and his or her capabilities better. We at the UWV are part of social security, but that long waiting period creates uncertainty, which ultimately does not help people on their way to re-employment. All those people who are currently waiting are waiting for clarity about their benefits, not for work. You can remove that uncertainty by providing them with an immediate income, which they do not have to repay if the final assessment turns out differently. Then you can focus directly on supporting them back to work and convert the waiting period into a period of active reintegration. This is in line with the current tight labor market and the needs of many people who apply for the WIA, because most are eager to rejoin the workforce.’

You mention the tight labor market. What else is needed to address this shortage, apart from preventing people from becoming unfit for work?
‘Employers are still searching for the perfect candidate, even though the perfect candidate is becoming increasingly scarce. At the same time, there are still many people on the sidelines who would like to work but have great difficulty finding a job. Employers still seem reluctant to hire older people or people with disabilities. People who do not meet all the qualifications required for a position are also often denied an opportunity. So, a different mindset is really essential.
In practice, consciously removing these barriers can work well. Some employers, for example, have had positive experiences with open hiring, where anyone willing and able to work can start immediately, without a job interview. Of course, this is not possible for every position but is possible more often than what one would think. The UWV can also help with this. For example, we offer free Business Advice on Inclusive Employment, or BIA, as a method to address staff shortages by organizing work differently and more inclusively. One example is a carpentry company with five carpenters who also do administrative work. If you transfer all those administrative tasks to a new position, more carpentry capacity is freed up and you can hire someone with a different profile who can work very accurately and precisely to do the administration.’

The UWV is doing relatively well with over 500 employees who were previously distanced from the labor market, but with a workforce of 22,000, this is still a very small group. How do you facilitate employers to really open up to people outside their usual scope?
‘That ball is primarily up to employers and employers' organizations themselves. The barriers that employers think they face are often mainly psychological. They need to realize that hiring a non-standard employee is valuable to the organization in all kinds of ways. You fill a vacancy and help someone find a job, but it also adds value to your company and to society to have a diverse workforce. My appeal is: overcome that barrier and give it a try. I also make this appeal internally within the UWV, because we too still have much more to do to employ people who are distanced from the labor market.’

The House of Representatives elections were held in October. What should the new cabinet address from the UWV's perspective?
‘First and foremost, the health of society. At the UWV, we are already reaching a deadlock, but more importantly, we are reaching a deadlock in society as well. Politicians need to engage in dialogue with employers and employees about how we can deal with this increasing pressure in society. The longer you wait, the more complicated it becomes – although I rule out that the problem will be solved in a single cabinet term.
The other major issue, in our view, is reducing the complexity of legislation and regulations. Together with the Social Insurance Bank, we have launched a proposal for a Simplification Act, with the aim of amending outdated and complex legislation in an annual exercise and resolving bottlenecks. So far, hardly any progress has been made, and I would urge the new cabinet to do so. I would say: do not get bogged down in grand and sweeping visions, but every year look again at how you can simplify legislation so that it remains up to date and improves implementation for citizens and businesses.’

Interview by John Schattorie, Segment Leader Central Government at Deloitte. Published in Management Scope 01 2026.