End in sight for job growth

In the first quarter of 2003 the total number of jobs of employees was 10 thousand higher than in the same period last year, at nearly 7.5 million. The rate of growth in the number of jobs was the lowest for ten years. There are fewer jobs for men.

Job losses in private sector

The number of jobs of employees in the private sector was 91 thousand lower than in the first quarter of 2002, at 5.1 million. The last time the number of jobs in the private sector fell was in 1993.

Jobs of employees by sector

Relatively high growth in care and government

In the care and government sector the number of jobs was 101 thousand higher than in the first quarter of 2002, at 2.4 million. The growth in the number of jobs in care and government is the highest in the last ten years. Unlike the private sector, in the period after 1993 the number of jobs in this sectors continued to increase, in spite of the accelerated reduction of conscripts from 40 thousand in 1992 to zero at the end of 1996.

Jobs for men no longer increasing

The growth in the number of jobs for men came to an end around mid 2000. In the first quarter of 2003 it even fell by 37 thousand. For women the increase in the number of jobs was still 48 thousand in the first quarter of 2003.

Jobs of employees by sex

Higher job growth for women since 1998

Up to the end of 1997 the number of jobs for men increased faster than the number for women. From 1998, however, job growth for women continued unabated, while for men it subsided. The cause was the strong growth in the number of jobs in education and health care, where most workers are women. The growth for women decreased slightly after 2001.

Still more jobs for menWomen still have fewer jobs than men, though. In the first quarter of 2003 there were 4.1 million jobs for men and 3.4 million for women. Men therefore have 55 percent of available jobs.

Dick Gielisse