Van Hijum studied civil engineering management at the University of Twente, and he served in the municipal council of Zwolle between 1998 and 2003.

[2][11] Van Hijum was tasked with facilitating talks between unions and employers' associations to create a permanent early retirement scheme for workers in physically demanding occupations.

While aiming to keep new participants below 15,000 annually, no strict limit was set, and sectors would have to define physically demanding occupations in collective bargaining agreements.

[14][15] In September 2024, EenVandaag and the Algemeen Dagblad revealed that spot checks within the Employee Insurance Agency [nl] (UWV) had shown that a significant portion of occupational disability benefit recipients had received either too high or too low payments.

The UWV disclosed that 25,000–50,000 of the 200,000 recipients were affected, and Van Hijum pledged to establish a new department to oversee the rectification process.