4. Labour and education
This chapter discusses the labour market in the Dutch Caribbean. We look at how many people are in work and how high unemployment is, and how this has changed over time. We also consider the level of education of the inhabitants.
4.1 Labour force participation and unemployment
When presenting figures about the labour market, the population is often divided into three categories:
- The employed labour force. This consists of individuals who are in paid employment.
- The unemployed labour force. Those who are not in paid employment but are actively seeking work and immediately available for work.
- The non-working population. This consists of individuals who are not in paid employment, are actively seeking and not immediately available for work – for example, because they are incapacitated for work or have family care responsibilities.
The employed and unemployed categories combined make up the active labour force. On the BES islands, it is common to limit the ages of the three categories to a range from 15 to 74. The upper limit is not used in the CAS countries. The institutional population (CBS, 2022) – residents of nursing homes and prisons, for example – is not included in the total. Whether or not this group is counted for the CAS countries is unclear.
Net labour force participation rate
The percentage of the population in paid employment is known as the net labour force participation rate. This is the share of the employed labour force within the total population (the active labour force and the non-working population added together). Chart 4.1.1 shows the net labour force participation rate for the six islands for the period from 2012 to 2024. It should be noted that this chapter does not present a continuous development, given that the Labour Force Survey in the Caribbean Netherlands (Arbeidskrachtenonderzoek in Caribisch Nederland) is conducted biennially rather than annually. For St Maarten, the same years are not available as is the case for the other islands. This is why the figure shows data for 2011 for St Maarten under 2012, data for 2013 under 2014 and data for 2017 under 2016.
| Aruba (15 yrs and above) (%) | Bonaire (15 - 74 yrs) (%) | Curaçao (15 yrs and above) (%) | Saba (15 - 74 yrs) (%) | St Eustatius (15 - 74 yrs) (%) | St Maarten (15 yrs and above) (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 68.5 | 63.1 | 70.1 | 57.5 | ||
| 2014 | 68.9 | 47.9 | 59.3 | 67.8 | 58.2 | |
| 2016 | 58.4 | 69.9 | 51.1 | 61.6 | 66.2 | 55.1 |
| 2018 | 56.6 | 73.1 | 48.1 | 65.8 | 71.5 | 57 |
| 2020 | 50.5 | 69.8 | 45.6 | 73.4 | 71 | |
| 2022 | 58.1 | 72.5 | 53.5 | 67 | 72.9 | |
| 2024 | 60.8 | 73.8 | 54.1 | 67.2 | 71.4 |
On all six islands, the majority of the population are in paid employment. There can be various reasons why people are not able or willing to work. On Bonaire and St Eustatius, the net labour force participation rate was over 70% in recent years. On Saba it was slightly lower, at 67%. This is due to the fact that there is a large university on the island, which means that a proportion of the inhabitants are not part of the working population (the students). Labour force participation on Aruba and Curaçao is consistently lower than it is on the BES islands. However, comparison between the CAS countries and the BES islands is impaired by differences in the age categories used.
Labour force participation was faily stable for all the islands during the period under review.
Unemployment
Another important economic indicator is the unemployment rate. This is calculated by looking at the unemployed labour force. Chart 4.1.2 shows changes in the unemployment rate of the six islands. The age group categories used are the same as for labour force participation. As was seen above, the same years are not available for St Maarten as for the other islands. This is why the figure shows data for 2011 for St Maarten under 2012, data for 2013 under 2014 and data for 2017 under 2016.
| Perioden | Aruba (15 yrs and above) (%) | Bonaire (15 - 74 yrs) (%) | Curaçao (15 yrs and above) (%) | Saba (15 - 74 yrs) (%) | St Eustatius (15 - 74 yrs) (%) | St Maarten (15 yrs and above) (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5.8 | 3.9 | 3.2 | 11.5 | ||
| 2014 | 6.4 | 12.6 | 2.5 | 8.8 | 9.2 | |
| 2016 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 13.3 | 3.3 | 7.1 | 6.2 |
| 2018 | 7.3 | 3.2 | 13.4 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 9.9 |
| 2020 | 8.6 | 4.6 | 19.1 | 3.1 | 2.3 | |
| 2022 | 4.3 | 3 | 13.1 | 2.5 | 3.9 | 6.5 |
| 2024 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 7.8 | 1.4 | 4.4 | |
Curaçao had the highest unemployment rate throughout the period under review. It is unclear whether the different age group categories used are a factor in this. Previous studies suggested multiple reasons for the high unemployment rate on this island – for example, the general functioning of the economy on Curaçao, the heavy dependence on a limited number of industries (lack of diversification) and the functioning of the labour market (for example, bureaucratic obstacles and delays in the licensing procedure). For more information about the labour market on Curaçao, see the analysis of the labour market on Curaçao (CBS Curaçao, 2023b). Nevertheless, unemployment on this island has fallen relative to 2016, with the exception of the spike during the coronavirus pandemic. Whereas in that year the unemployment rate was over 13%, by 2024 it had fallen below 8%.
Unemployment has also fallen on Aruba and Bonaire in recent years – from more than 7% in 2016 to slightly over 4% in 2024 on Aruba, and from more than 6% in 2016 to approximately 2% in 2024 on Bonaire. Saba has had the lowest unemployment rate in virtually all years. In 2024, unemployment on the island stood at under 2%. Saba also had the lowest unemployment rate in previous research conducted by CBS (Hermans and Kösters, 2019). Unemployment on St Eustatius have been fluctuating somewhat. The economy on this island is heavily influenced by a small number of large enterprises. Their production is mainly export-oriented and dependent on the regional oil sector.
Because all the islands are popular holiday destinations, the tourism, trade and accommodation & food service sectors are those that provide the most employment. However, each island has a different sector structure. More detail on this is provided in chapter five.
4.2 Level of education
In this section, we look at the highest level of educational attainment of the inhabitants of the six islands. Chart 4.2.1 shows the highest level attained for those islands for which the information was available. The information relates to 2016 and the most recent available year: 2024. Three categories are defined for the highest level of educational attainment: ‘primary education/prevocational secondary education (VMBO) or senior secondary vocational education (MBO) 1’; ‘senior general secondary education (HAVO)/pre-university education (VWO) or senior secondary vocational education (MBO) 2-4’; and ‘higher vocational education (HBO) or university education’. A more approximate categorisation was used for St Maarten and Curaçao.
| Primary education/VMBO or MBO1 (%) | HAVO/VWO or MBO 2-4 (%) | HBO or univeristy (%) | don't know/unknown (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aruba | ||||
| Aruba (15 yrs and older, 2022) | 37 | 45 | 14 | 5 |
| Bonaire (15 yrs and older, 2016) | 51 | 30.2 | 15.6 | 3.3 |
| Bonaire (15 yrs and older, 2024) | 45 | 37 | 17 | 1 |
| Curaçao (2011) | ||||
| Curaçao (15 yrs and older, 2020) | 47 | 19 | 24 | 9 |
| Saba (15 yrs and older, 2016) | 44.8 | 18.8 | 35.8 | 0.6 |
| Saba (15 yrs and older, 2024) | 32 | 34 | 28 | 6 |
| St Eustatius (15 yrs and older, 2016) | 66 | 14.8 | 18.4 | 0.8 |
| St Eustatius (15 yrs and older, 2024) | 53 | 28 | 13 | 5 |
| St Maarten (2011) | ||||
| St Maarten (2022) | 53.7 | 10.2 | 10.9 | 25.2 |
The most common highest level of educational attainment for residents of the islands is ‘primary education/VMBO or MBO 1’ – this is true for between 30% and 50% of the population on the islands of Bonaire, St Eustatius and Curaçao. Approximately 15% to 25% of residents have either an HBO or university qualification. Saba presents a different picture: the percentage of residents with an HBO or university education is relatively high here, at over a quarter. This is due to the large medical university situated on the island. Due to the rounding off of percentages in the source, not all countries add up to 100%. As a result, the figures are indicative.
The level of education of the BES islands has changed slightly since 2016. These days, a smaller share of the population have ‘primary education/VMBO or MBO 1’ as their highest level of educational attainment. Older figures are not known for the other islands.
A familiar problem is that young people from the islands in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands leave to study elsewhere, for example in the European Netherlands, and do not return to directly where they came from after completing their study programmes. For example, estimates suggest that hundreds of young people leave Curaçao every year to study elsewhere but that only approximately 5% return to the island after their studies (CBS Curaçao, 2023c). The most recent survey of school pupils on the BES islands (Bokern and Fernandez Beiro, 2025) also saw a large proportion indicating that they wanted to leave the island in the future to live elsewhere. This was true for 81% of young people on Bonaire, with the figure rising to 91% for Saba and St Eustatius. On all three islands, ‘to complete a training course or study programme’ and ‘to see more of the world’ were the most common reasons given for wanting to leave.
The result of the departure of these young people is that the average educational level of residents of the six islands is relatively low. By way of comparison: in the European Netherlands (CBS, 2025b), slightly over a quarter of individuals aged 15 to 75 have ‘primary education/VMBO or MBO 1’ as their highest level of educational attainment, approximately 41% have ‘HAVO/VWO or MBO 2-4’, and nearly a third have ‘HBO or university education’. The permanent departure of those with HBO and university educations can have an impact on the local labour market and on the economies of the islands. It can potentially also affect the composition of the population, for example because migrants have to be hired to fill job vacancies.