Netherlands proposes new Leave Act to simplify care and parental leave

The Dutch government is proposing a new Leave Act (Verlofwet) aimed at simplifying the current leave system, with a target implementation date of 2028. The reform seeks to replace the existing Work and Care Act (Wazo) by merging short-term and long-term care leave into a single eight-week regulation. Under this proposal, the first two weeks would be partially paid at 70 percent of the salary, while the remaining six weeks would be unpaid.

In conjunction with these reforms, the government has presented the Caregiver Agenda 2027-2030. While the Social and Economic Council (SER) noted that many of its recommendations were adopted, the agenda lacks specific measures regarding the expansion of paid leave for informal caregivers. The SER has previously advocated for an eight-week government-funded care leave period to prevent burnout among the approximately 2 million Dutch citizens who balance employment with caregiving duties.