Long-term unemployment

The category long-term unemployed includes all people who are unemployed for 12 months or more. The period of unemployment is registered for each individual belonging to the unemployed labour force. The unemployed labour force comprises all 15 to 64-year-olds living in the Netherlands, who do not work at all or work less than 12 hours a week, are actively seeking employment for at least 12 hours a week and are promptly available for the labour market.

The figures presented in this article are based on the Labour Force Survey (EBB), a sample survey conducted every month among people in the Netherlands aged 15 years and older, excluding people living in homes and institutions. The sample population covers approximately 1 percent of the entire Dutch population.