8 facts about the ZP market

Do women earn as much as men when they are ZP's? Is it more beneficial to go for a full-time contract than a part-time one? These 8 facts about invoicing will give you a clear picture of the current ZP'er market.

1. On average, an Independent Professional works on an assignment for 15 months. ZP'ers with an age over 45 work on average two months longer on an assignment than younger Independents.
2. More and more women are becoming Independent Professionals. In the second quarter of this year, the number of women in the group of ZP'ers increased by 1.19 percent.
3. On average, women bill 1 to 3 percent less than men.
4. During the past summer months, the number of assignments increased 17 percent compared to the same quarter in 2014. So it was a good summer for the ZP'er.
5. ZP'ers with full-time contracts do not bill all contractual hours. On average over the entire year, only 80 percent of contracted hours are actually billed.
6. Independent professionals with part-time contracts invoice a higher percentage than ZP'ers with full-time contracts. On average, they bill 97 percent of their contractual hours.
7. The cost of a 36-hour contract is higher than for a 40-hour contract. In fact, the average hourly bill for a 36-hour contract is almost 9 percent higher than for a 40-hour contract. On an annual basis, a ZP'er with a 36-hour contract even bills slightly more than a Self-employed Professional with a 40-hour contract.
8. The average hourly rate of the Independent Professional increased by 9 cents per hour compared to the previous quarter. However, rates are still lower than last year's average rates.

The above facts come from research by market monitor ZP Facts. Download the report at zpfacts.nl.