Peak Season Is Coming: Why October to December Is the Busiest Time in Dutch Warehouses
5 October 2026
Every autumn, the same thing happens in Dutch logistics. The orders start climbing in October, and by December the warehouses are running at full speed.
The reason is simple: three of the biggest shopping moments of the year fall in a few weeks of each other. Black Friday is on 27 November this year. Sinterklaas follows on 5 December, and in the Netherlands it is the main gift-giving evening, not Christmas. Then comes Christmas itself. Every one of those gifts, online orders and extra supermarket deliveries has to be picked, packed, sorted and shipped by someone.
If you are thinking about working in the Netherlands, this is worth understanding. Peak season changes what is on offer, and it changes the questions you should ask.
What peak season looks like from the inside
Most of the extra work lands in the same kinds of roles:
- Order picking in distribution centres, for supermarkets, retailers and online shops
- Parcel sorting, as online orders and returns multiply
- Packing and preparing shipments
- Reach truck and forklift work, for people with the right certificate
These are the roles we recruit for all year, from grocery fulfilment to second-hand fashion parcels. In the last quarter there is simply more of it.
What it can mean for you
More hours can be available. When volumes rise, employers often need people to work extra shifts, evenings or weekends. Those hours usually carry a surcharge on top of the normal rate. We explain how those bonuses work in a separate post.
It is a good moment to start. A busy period means training and onboarding are running constantly, and teams are used to new people arriving.
Planning starts early. Employers plan their peak staffing ahead. If you want to be working by November, the time to prepare is now, not at the end of the month.
The honest part: ask what happens in January
Some peak-season roles are for the season. When the rush is over, the volume drops and not every extra position continues.
That is not a reason to avoid peak work. It is a reason to ask the right question before you travel: does this job continue after January, or is it planned for the season? A good recruiter will tell you what they know, and say clearly when they do not know yet.
If you are looking for something long-term, say so at the start. It changes which jobs we will suggest.
Get your documents ready now
The most common reason people miss a start date is paperwork, not the job. Before peak season, make sure you have:
- A valid ID or passport
- A certificate of conduct, if the employer asks for one. We have a guide on how to get it in your country
- Any certificates you hold, such as reach truck, forklift or EPT, and proof they are valid in the EU
- An up-to-date CV that lists those certificates at the top. Here is how to write one Dutch recruiters actually read
Ready when you are
Peak season rewards people who are prepared. If you want to work in the Netherlands this autumn, look at what is open now and talk to us early. We will tell you what each job involves, what it pays, and what we do and do not know about how long it runs.