Attractive and inclusive employership

NS is a major employer in the Netherlands and believes in being a good and attractive employer for current and future employees. NS offers its employees varied work that has an impact on society, as well as freedom and development opportunities. NS also provides attractive employment conditions and strives for equality in all respects. The future of NS depends on a proud and healthy workforce.

Offering attractive work that makes a difference enables us to recruit and retain sufficient people, for example by giving them more control over their own rosters and through continuing investment in personal safety, public safety and a healthy working environment. Through measures such as deploying technology, we reorganise work where necessary in order to grow our offering with a manageable workload and a cost-conscious approach.

The material theme 'Attractive and inclusive employership' incorporates the sub-themes 'Employment conditions and employment relations', 'Diversity and inclusion', 'Public safety and healthy working environment' and 'Recruitment, training and development':

Employment conditions and employment relations

Material impacts, risks and opportunities

Impact

Employment conditions and employment relations are key elements of good employment practices, enabling NS to retain employees. Employment conditions and relations have an impact on our employees - in a positive sense if they are perceived as good or in a negative sense if employees are dissatisfied with our employment conditions and employment relations.

Policy, actions, indicators and targets

Policy

Our HR strategy includes and elaborates on the key principles of employment relations and employment conditions. An important aspect is that we want to offer attractive work with competitive working conditions. Our guiding principles are:

• Employment conditions/CLA: to contribute to being an attractive employer with a competitive and attractive employment benefits package to recruit and retain employees.

• Employment relations: NS strives for good employment relations with employee participation bodies and trade unions to ensure employee participation and involvement in developments in organisation, work and employment conditions.

Actions, indicators and targets

Employment conditions/Collective Labour Agreement

As many as 99% of all employees of NS Group were covered by a collective labour agreement in 2025. In addition to the NS Group collective labour agreement, the VGL (Association of Large Food Retailers), LVM (Foodstuffs), MVT (Motor Vehicle Business) and Catering collective labour agreements apply within NS. Other employees have individual employment conditions and an individual employment contract.

New employment conditions were agreed in 2025 for the more than 17,000 colleagues covered by the NS Collective Labour Agreement. The term of the new CLA runs from 1 March 2025 to 1 March 2027. The CLA contains new agreements on a wide range of aspects of the employment contract, such as pay, allowances and rosters. The collective labour agreements reached include a number of breakthroughs such as a new, permanent, Early Retirement Scheme (Heavy Work Scheme) for employees who have faced onerous working conditions during their career at NS. A methodology was also established for determining the degree of 'heavy work' and thus entitlement to this scheme for each individual employee. Under this scheme, employees can voluntarily take early retirement up to a maximum of three years before their state pension age with an allowance from NS. Agreements were also reached in the new CLA on a broadening of night shift exemptions for employees aged 61 and over.

Employment relations

There are four active works councils within NS, elected from and by the employees working in the relevant business units. The works council’s activities include advising the Executive Board and management on the organisational structure and business decisions, assessing future plans specifically from the employees' perspective, taking into account and in the context of the overall business interest, as well as monitoring compliance with agreements reached. The overarching Central Works Council deals with issues at group level and those that transcend individual business units. The employee participation landscape also includes a number of ad hoc committees, working groups and business unit committees. The Works Councils Act (WOR) stipulates that, depending on the subject, the employee participation body must be informed, consulted (in the form of requests for advice) or given the opportunity to participate in decision-making (in the form of requests for consent).

Requests for advice and consent are published on the intranet and are accessible to all employees. Advice is drawn up and decisions in relation to requests for consent are reached through employee consultation by the employee participation bodies, as well as by other means. Advice issued by the employee participation bodies and decisions to grant or withhold consent are widely published and communicated. Evaluation of the participation process takes place on an optional basis.

Consultations with the Central Works Council, works councils and the various committees and working groups take place on an ongoing basis at a regular frequency and/or at the request of one of the parties. Depending on the subject, the relevant organisational units have operational responsibility for conducting consultations. Ultimate responsibility lies with the chair of the Executive Board.

The works councils are facilitated in a number of ways, including through time facilities, training and secretarial support.

In addition to consultation with the employee participation bodies, monthly trade union consultations take place, also at a regular frequency and/or at the request of one of the parties. NS provides the trade unions with an annual financial allowance in the form of an amount per 'NS employee member' of the union. NS also provides facilities in the form of time, leave and training to both trade unions and the employee participation bodies.

All our employees have employee representatives through the employee participation bodies and trade unions.

Diversity and inclusion

NS believes it is essential to work with a rich diversity of people in terms of age, experience, background, gender, sexual orientation and character. By attracting and retaining diverse talent, we aim to strengthen the pride and job satisfaction of our people and improve our results. Moreover, different people bring different perspectives. At NS, we ensure equal opportunities for employees to fully develop their talents, as part of our effort to create an open, safe and inclusive working environment. We want to reflect the working population at all levels. We therefore encourage the recruitment and retention of women, people with a migration background and people with occupational disabilities, for example through targets and targeted campaigns.

Material impacts, risks and opportunities

Impact

NS contributes to the well-being and involvement of its employees and encourages labour participation within various groups. We do this by creating a working environment that is diverse, inclusive and socially safe, where equal treatment and equal opportunities are paramount. Both internal and external employees have an impact on diversity and inclusion. An open, safe and inclusive environment is important for all our employees. Our policy and actions are therefore aimed at everyone employed by NS.

Policy, actions, indicators and targets

Policy

NS's HR diversity and inclusion strategy has been further developed and set out in our Ambition ‘open, safe and inclusive’. This Ambition sets out our policy on creating an open, safe and inclusive working environment with equal opportunities for all. We want to differentiate ourselves in this area by hiring even more people with different profiles and backgrounds so that we can compete with other employers in the context of an ageing population, migration and change in educational background.

Actions, indicators and targets

Actions and measures have been developed based on policy to promote diversity and inclusion within NS:

• creating participatory jobs

• increasing the percentage of senior positions filled by employees with a migration background

• stimulating and facilitating new hires of asylum permit holders

• retaining women in senior management, with a special focus on new hires in departments with a low percentage of women

Participatory jobs

One of our key focus areas is the creation of 200 participatory jobs for people with occupational disabilities. We have a dedicated team for this purpose within our in-house recruitment department. We also work with employer service points and a specialist recruitment agency. This enables us to better assess the needs of this target group and more easily find suitable work. The priority for us is the candidate's talents and whether they are a good fit for the job. We then look at what an individual needs from us in terms of practical matters (setting up an adapted workplace, facilities, best working hours). The employees will join NS in the same way as any other employees, under the same employment conditions applied by the respective business unit. We train internal employees and managers in mentoring colleagues with an occupational disability. We also offer the latter career guidance sessions, job coaching, workshops and training programmes to help them build their careers within NS or elsewhere.

In 2025, NS had 138 employees with an occupational disability in what are known as participatory jobs (2024: 165). Of these employees, 128 were still in employment at the end of December (year-end 2024: 151). Due to the tight labour market, staff with disabilities are difficult to recruit.

Staff with a migration background

We encourage new hires of people with a migration background through regular vacancies and traineeships. For new hires and promotions of employees with a migration background, we cooperate with organisations such as the Refugee talent Hub, Agora Network and the ECHO Foundation. These are cultural diversity organisations. The importance of talent development to prepare diverse talent for senior positions also features high on the agenda. We paid extra attention last year in management development processes to the hiring and promoting of people in these groups. In addition to awareness workshops for supervisors, the recruitment process continued to focus on unbiased selection and structured interviewing.

NS set up a Diversity Committee in 2020 to promote diversity in senior positions. Our aim is to have at least 10% of senior positions (individual employment contract) filled by employees with a migration background by 2025. NS wants to bring the representation of this group more in line with the composition of today’s society. Since the committee was established, we have seen an increase in staff with a migration background in senior management positions. On 31 December 2025, 7.5% held this type of position (31 December 2024: 8.1%). The 2025 saw targeted external recruitment efforts, but with insufficient results. Talent management was further honed at the end of 2025 to promote internal advancement.

Asylum permit holders

For people with a refugee background, we offer specific apprenticeship programmes in addition to our regular vacancies and what we call Kickstart jobs to increase their access to the labour market. For example, Service & Operations has a one-year course for service employees and Train Modernisation offers a senior secondary vocational education course in engineering and technology in collaboration with Randstad Techniek. These courses offer participants training, language support, workplace guidance and development opportunities. We have also developed subject-specific language training for students from refugee backgrounds within our in-house TechniekFabriek technical senior secondary vocational education course. In 2025, a total of 28 asylum permit holders carried out apprenticeships at NS (target: 15). Nine asylum permit holders (target: 10) also started the Kickstart job programme in 2025: a position at higher professional education/university level that includes mentoring and language training, with NS issuing up to three-year contracts.

Women in senior management positions

At year-end 2025, women filled 40% of senior management positions at NS (year-end 2024: 36%). That is five percentage points more than our target (35%). At that time, the percentage of female members of the Executive Board was 40% (year-end 2024: 50%) and the percentage of female members of the Supervisory Board was 57% (year-end 2024: 43%). NS thus complies with Article 5.2.3 of the 2022 Policy Document on State Participations, which stipulates that, both the supervisory board and the executive board of State participations should consist of at least one-third women and at least one-third men, as well as the Ingrowth Quota and Targets Act.

At NS, we provide equal pay for equal work. NS conducts a ‘male/female’ income analysis every two years. The most up-to-date calculation from 2024 shows that there is no gender pay gap at NS.

Public safety and healthy working environment

Material impacts, risks and opportunities

Risk

As an employer, Public Transport provider and manager of stations and associated services, NS plays an important role in ensuring public safety. NS carries out this task not only because it is legally required to do so, but also because public safety is very important. NS does everything within its power to ensure public safety. NS ensures a safe working environment in which employees can function to the best of their ability. In doing so, NS takes a stand against any form of aggression.

The past few years have seen a noticeable increase in aggressive behaviour, asylum-seeker issues, sexually transgressive behaviour, weapons possession and people with mental health needs in society. Like many other organisations, NS is having to deal with this development.

Policy, actions, indicators and targets

Policy

With its public safety policy, NS aims to outline a framework that embeds the theme of public safety within NS and that enables us to provide a safe working environment that is also experienced as safe for our employees. NS aims to manage and reduce public safety risks as much as reasonably possible. And to positively influence the experience of public safety.

Actions, indicators and targets

Public safety

Our measures to improve social safety mainly focus on stations and routes with relatively high numbers of public safety reports and incidents. Among other things, we deployed extra Safety & Service officers where required, ran campaigns and stepped up security at our stations and on our trains in 2025.

In 2025, NS carried out 100% checks for the first time on possession of a valid ticket for major events such as the Dutch Grand Prix, the Four Day Marches, Appelpop, King’s Day and Liberation Day, on both departure and return. Passengers without tickets were denied access to stations and trains. This approach ensures that everyone pays for their journey and helps reduce aggression because it is clear to everyone that they must hold a ticket in order to travel. Additional effort on the part of our staff and effective collaboration with partners ensured that travel went as safely and smoothly as possible during busy events. Given the positive experiences, NS is keen to use this form of control more often in the future to improve public safety and payment behaviour.

NS has also received permission from the Ministry of Justice and Security to launch a pilot project in which staff will be allowed to carry a baton. Although NS has been reluctant to introduce this measure in the past, talks with trade unions and colleagues have now prompted us to explore the usefulness of a baton. Unfortunately, our staff continue to be faced with injuries and violence. This includes S&S employees. NS wants to explore whether the baton can contribute to a safer working environment. The aim is to start the pilot in the first quarter of 2026.

NS wants to provide a working environment in which employees can do their work to the best of their ability without incidents involving aggression. Our aim is to prevent all incidents involving aggression and reduce the number of these incidents each year compared to the previous year. However, as this depends on the behaviour of others, we are not always able to influence this situation. Unfortunately, the number of incidents involving aggression against NS staff rose again in 2025 compared to 2024 (1,132 versus 1,095).

Staff satisfaction

NS regularly conducts interviews with employees about their expectations, experiences and needs, including through the staff satisfaction survey. The staff satisfaction survey consists of an approximately 18-month cycle in which we conduct a broad survey followed by two short staff satisfaction survey check measurements. The staff satisfaction survey was carried out in November 2024. Improvement themes were chosen based on data analyses. A distinction is made here between NS-wide themes that apply to everyone and company-specific improvement themes. The NS-wide theme was personal development. There is also a continuous focus throughout NS on undesirable behaviour between employees and undesirable behaviour by passengers. With the two staff satisfaction survey checks in 2025, NS monitored progress and follow-up on these themes and company-specific themes.

Ownership in following up the outcomes lies within the organisation. Supervisors engaged with their employees on the results of the staff satisfaction survey and staff satisfaction survey checks for greater clarification and follow-up. Together, they will decide what they will continue to do in relation to the selected themes and what they will do differently to improve staff satisfaction. Staff satisfaction therefore remains an ongoing focus throughout the organisation.

We aim for as many colleagues as possible to give working at NS a score of 8 or above. In the November 2025 staff satisfaction survey check, 62% of colleagues scored working at NS as 8 or above.

Sickness absence

In 2025, the sickness absence rate increased to 8.9% from 8.2% in 2024. We saw high sickness absence figures in spring 2025, which peaked in February. Despite efforts, the sickness absence rate has not fallen sufficiently since then. In 2025, we started to report directly from our sickness absence system, resulting in a more realistic and slightly higher sickness absence rate than before. The 2024 comparative figure has been adjusted in line with the new methodology.

The causes of sickness absence were analysed for each business unit, and together with the employee participation bodies, we identified the need for our improvement approach to have a more visible impact. We are therefore placing an emphasis on better conversations between supervisors and employees and more effective organisation of the work. Each business unit develops its own vitality approach, which the employee participation bodies are closely involved in monitoring, evaluating and adjusting. This people-centred approach underlines our commitment to enhancing the deployability of our employees so that they feel supported and valued.

Recruitment, training and development

Material impacts, risks and opportunities

Risk

NS will continue to face staffing challenges over the next few years, mainly due to structural labour market shortages and staff retirement. Staff retirement also leads to a risk of knowledge loss. NS needs to start securing this knowledge. For driving personnel, the risks have been reduced by taking appropriate measures, although specific problem areas still require attention. Mechanics remain a critical target group, particularly because we have to train them in Train Technology ourselves and because fewer and fewer people are opting for technical professions in general. A great deal of effort will be necessary to avoid shortages in Safety & Service.

Policy, actions, indicators and targets

Policy

We look with the business units at current needs, but also as much as possible at future needs. Based on market information, we develop a strategic recruitment plan and focus on employer branding. We make applying for jobs as easy as possible.

We train many lateral-entry staff every year in-house. These individuals undergo training or retraining without loss of salary to become guards, train drivers, Safety & Service employees, mechanics and managers, among others.

We also allow current employees plenty of scope to develop. The Career Centre is available for this purpose, which offers Talent and Career Paths that employees can follow free of charge. With effect from this year, all NS employees have been able to access these provisions without the intervention of their own manager. There is a Development Counter for operational staff who want to undergo training. NS also has a budget for training employees in an indirect role, as well as a range of training courses that employees can follow free of charge.

Actions, indicators and targets

The following actions and measures have been taken to minimise the risk:

• Extra efforts to recruit and retain relevant positions and offer sufficient places on our in-house training programmes.

• Specific technician measures via the masterplan for technicians (Masterplan Monteurs).

• Reduce demand for labour, e.g. by using camera poles to carry out the inspection of rolling stock and by deploying AI.

Additional measures have been taken to increase the inflow of new operational staff and reduce their outflow. NS expects to see the effect of these solutions from 2026 onwards.

Recruitment

NS continued to recruit in 2025 to maintain the number of colleagues needed. NS aims for a number of FTEs[1] that is in keeping with the financial frameworks and has set itself the goal of filling the necessary vacancies. We were able to make up for staff departures with new hires in most target groups, although this took longer than before in some cases. There were fewer vacancies than in 2024. The majority of the vacancies were filled with new hires, in addition to internal promotions within NS. Trainees and temporary staff were also hired. Fewer temporary workers were deployed in 2025 than in 2024. This was partly because NS adopted a conscious policy in relation to enforcement of the Assessment of Employment Relationships (Deregulation) Act, which resulted in a decrease in the number of self-employed professionals, and partly because of the need for cost savings. Of the total number of FTEs, 2.6% are temporary workers or contractors, mainly in IT, technology and office positions (2024: 3.6%).

The recruitment of mechanics, IT professionals and Safety & Service employees remained a major challenge and was an ongoing focus through specific programmes. To fill all vacancies, we deploy mass media and regionally targeted recruitment campaigns, as well as campaigns in which colleagues nominate candidates and employee ‘ambassadorship’. We ensure a fast and pleasant application process that is in line with the target group, where talents and skills are more important than qualifications. Newly hired employees will first receive a temporary contract, followed by a permanent contract.

NS had 21,369 employees at year-end 2025. A total of 3,220 employees left in 2025, meaning a staff turnover rate of 15.1%[2]. The number of new colleagues who entered employment at NS in 2025 was 3,365.

Training and development

It is essential for NS that employees continue to develop and learn. The world around us is changing and offers opportunities and possibilities that we want to take advantage of, while an active focus on learning and development ensures that our employees have the knowledge and skills required. All current employees must maintain their professional skills by undergoing follow-up training and resitting examinations where applicable, and all new hires must become qualified and competent within the set time frame. We monitor our progress on development through the staff satisfaction survey.

We made sure that colleagues’ professional knowledge was up to standard and also taught them new skills. Professional skills were a key priority for NS in 2025, with a special focus on safety and technical training. Among many other developments, a new learning method was developed for the departure process using VR, a training course to retrain train drivers for ERTMS, and a 'Strong at your job ' training course to better equip staff members to cope with the increase in aggressive behaviour in society. The Management Learning Programme for new supervisors was launched in 2025.

We train new employees in our own Learning Centre and our TechniekFabriek. We facilitated this through our Regional Training Centre partners, through STC training centre in Rotterdam and for Retail in collaboration with national senior secondary vocational education provider NCVB in Tilburg. The TechniekFabriek is our own senior secondary vocational education course for train mechanics and was scaled up further in 2025 to meet high demand. Students from this course move on to jobs at NS Train Modernisation and Maintenance & Service. We also offer a lateral entry route for technicians from outside NS to become train mechanics at NS through retraining and/or upskilling. Qualification requirements have been broadened to allow more lateral entrants to join NS with a shorter training period. For retail employees, NS offers its own senior secondary vocational education course Stations Retail, which focuses on the specific dynamics and fast service at stations. Employees took training courses in 2025 to become Retail Specialists or Retail Managers.

A total of 56 senior secondary vocational students completed an internship with NS in 2025 and successfully moved on to a position as a train driver. Employees were also trained to fill positions such as service employee or NS Customer Service staff.

In 2025, NS invested €11.9 million in training and other learning interventions (2024: €11.3 million) to maintain its employees’ professional skills and to contribute to their personal development.

Prescribed indicators

• *Employee-reported gender. For reasons of traceability (<1%), no numbers are reported in the 'other' category. These numbers are included in the largest category.

• 1FTE (full time equivalent) relates to the applicable employment conditions of a full-time job. The number of hours associated with 1 FTE, a full-time job, varies for each collective labour agreement: 36 hours per week for the NS Group CLA, 38 hours per week for the Motor Vehicle Business CLA and the Hospitality CLA, and 40 hours for the Association of Large Food Retailers CLA and the Foodstuffs CLA.
• 2Staff turnover is calculated by dividing the number of FTEs that left employment in a month by the average number of FTEs per month. The percentages for the months are then added together.