About UWV

Who are we and what do we do?

Working on prospects

UWV is an autonomous administrative authority (ZBO) and is commissioned by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW) to implement employee insurances and provide labour market and data services. The Dutch employee insurances are provided for via laws such as the WW (Unemployment Insurance Act), the WIA (Work and Income according to Labour Capacity Act, which contains the IVA (Full Invalidity Benefit Regulations) and WGA (Return to Work (Partially Disabled) Regulations)), the Wajong (Disablement Assistance Act for Handicapped Young Persons), the WAO (Invalidity Insurance Act), the WAZ (Self-employed Persons Disablement Benefits Act), the WAZO (Work and Care Act) and the Sickness Benefits Act.

Our core tasks and ambition

UWV has core tasks in four areas:

employment – helping the client remain employed or find employment, in close cooperation with the municipalities;
social medical affairs – evaluating illness and labour incapacity according to clear criteria;
benefits – ensuring that benefits are provided quickly and correctly if work is not possible, or not immediately possible;
data management – ensuring that the client needs to provide the government with data on employment and benefits only once.

Our vision and mission

People are at their best when they can participate in society by working. Society functions best when as many people as possible participate in it by working. It is our mission to work with our partners to make a difference for people by promoting work. If work is impossible, we ensure that income is available quickly.

Our promise

UWV stands for optimal performance of its tasks in the area of employment, reintegration, temporary income and data management. We always have the client's interest in mind in doing so. ‘We offer people new prospects of participating in work and society' - that is what we promise our clients and society.

Our clients are our priority, we are interested in them and treat them with respect. We believe in people and help them find opportunities and solutions.
With our philosophy 'Work first,' we are clear about our promises as well as our expectations.
We sometimes even make our contribution in the area of work and income behind the scenes.
We are proud of the results that we achieve with our public and private partners.

Our employees

UWV is a professional and knowledge-intensive organisation that performs an important social task. Our employees combine a client-oriented attitude with commitment, professionalism, a focus on results and collegiality. The ratio of male to female employees at UWV is almost fifty-fifty, and all age groups are represented, both in full-time and part-time positions. On 31 December 2010, UWV had 21,304 employees (18,228 FTEs). Women are slightly in the majority: 55 percent of our employees are women, 45 percent are men. The majority of the personnel (60 percent) works part time: more than 42 percent of the women and almost 18 percent of the men. The employees who have a full-time position are mostly men: almost 28 percent of men as opposed to just over 12 percent of women. The large majority of our employees are between 36 and 55 years old. At the end of 2010, 3 percent was 25 years or younger, 15 percent was 26 to 35 years old, 28 percent was 36 to 45 years, almost 35 percent was 46 to 55 years and almost 19 percent was 56 years or older.