Last year, there were 26,672 self-employed nurses in our country. Ten years ago, there were only 10,324 self-employed nurses. This is according to figures from the National Institute for Social Security for the Self-Employed (RSVZ), reports De Zondag.
Moreover, the number of self-employed nurses is underestimated. "It is only since 2009 that we have been working with a detailed occupational code. So there are certainly still self-employed nurses who are registered under the then general term 'paramedics'," says Roma Cortvriendt of the RSVZ.
"We are seeing a growing number of nurses and care workers opting for self-employed status," confirms Jens De Wulf of the healthcare umbrella organisation Zorgnet-Icuro. "They do so for financial reasons, but also because it gives them more freedom in their working hours." Employers also prefer self-employed workers "over temporary workers or project sourcing nurses because of the total cost," De Wulf continues. "For several years now, the financing of residential care centres has allowed for the use of self-employed workers."
