Unemployment in the Netherlands has risen in the last few months. The average number of people registered as unemployed in the period February–April was 167 thousand. According to the latest figures from Statistics Netherlands, this is twelve thousand more than in the same period last year.
Rising unemployment
On average, 167 thousand people in the Netherlands were registered as unemployed in February-April this year, six thousand more than in the period January–March. Seasonal effects usually reduce unemployment by twelve thousand in this period. After adjusting for these seasonal effects, the unemployment rate is 18 thousand higher than in the previous three-month
period. Compared with the last quarter of last year the number is now nearly thirty thousand higher.
Unemployment trends
Following years of decrease, unemployment started to increase substantially at the beginning of 1992. At the beginning of 1994 it peaked at half a million, but then started to fall again continuously until 2001, when it reached 134 thousand, one quarter of the early-1994 figure. In the spring and the second half of 2001 the seasonally adjusted figures fluctuated between 135 and 150 thousand. Since December, however, they have been rising. Compared with the same period last year the number of unemployed is now twelve thousand higher.
Unemployment rate reflects economic slowdown
Dutch economic growth has been low since the first quarter of 2001. Employment growth on the other hand only started to level out in the third quarter. At the same time the number of job vacancies also began to fall. Now, the strong decline in economic growth is also noticeable in increasing unemployment figures.
(source: Statistics Netherlands)
