Netherlands Invests €200 Million to Help Workers Stay Healthy Until Retirement
The Hague, Monday, 9 February 2026.
The Dutch government has allocated €200 million through 2030 to fund workplace innovations that reduce physically demanding work and support sustainable employability. This funding targets technological solutions, workplace redesigns, and projects addressing challenges from an aging workforce, ensuring workers can remain productive until retirement age.
Healthcare Innovation Initiative Targets Workplace Sustainability
This investment represents a healthtech initiative focused on workplace wellness and sustainable employability solutions. The program emerges from leftover funds originally allocated for early retirement schemes under the 2019 pension agreement [1]. According to demissionary Minister Paul of Social Affairs and Employment, while healthy longer working is achievable for most people, those engaged in physically or mentally demanding work require additional support [1]. The €200 million allocation comes from the MDIEU regulation, which initially set aside €1 billion in the 2019 pension agreement to enable sustainable employability and early retirement options [1].
Research Centers Lead Innovation Development
The funding supports innovation and technology development, particularly through the research and innovation center FRAIM at TU Delft, which develops solutions to make physical labor lighter [1]. FRAIM takes a collaborative approach, working directly with professionals to create practical solutions that can be implemented in real workplace settings [3]. As Nic van Holstein from the VCP (Union for Professionals) noted during a January 27, 2026 visit to FRAIM: “FRAIM develops solutions together with professionals, which are actually applicable in practice” [3]. The center focuses on smart solutions for sustainable employability, emphasizing the importance of involving workers in discussions about work organization, technology deployment, and necessary training [3].
Comprehensive Support Structure for Heavy Work Reduction
The investment program encompasses multiple strategic components beyond research funding. Subsidies will be available for collaborative partnerships and small-to-medium enterprise initiatives that start projects preventing or reducing the burden of heavy work [1]. Additionally, TNO will establish an expertise center for heavy work that collects and shares knowledge and tools about physically demanding labor, the Early Retirement Regulation (RVU), and sustainable employability [1]. The program also focuses on further development and dissemination of knowledge about heavy work, enabling other sectors and organizations to benefit from these innovations [1].
Timeline and Implementation Through 2030
The €200 million represents funds remaining from the original MDIEU regulation, which ran until the end of 2025 [1]. These resources will now be deployed through 2030 for new projects focused on heavy work and healthy working until retirement age [1]. The definitive deployment of these funds will be determined during the Spring Budget Note [1]. This timeline aligns with broader industry trends, as evidenced by recent collective bargaining agreements in the metal and technology sectors, which have established strategic agendas for 2026-2031 focusing on innovation, productivity, labor market dynamics, education, and sustainable employability [4]. The metalworking sector agreement, reached on January 28, 2026, specifically emphasizes the importance of sustainable employability with prevention-focused principles and action plans [4].