Nearly half a million people not receiving benefits are seeking jobs

Last year, 453 thousand jobless persons not receiving benefits, excluding pupils and students, were looking for work. They are mainly cohabiting or married women, of whom 44 percent are actively looking for work.

Nearly half of all jobless persons do not receive benefits

In 2006, nearly 11 million people in the Netherlands were aged between 15 and 65. In this age category, 3.9 million people were jobless, of whom 968 thousand against their will. Recipients of unemployment benefits in particular are prepared to work.

Jobless persons, 2006

Students and pupils constitute 14 percent of the group of nearly 1 million jobless persons willing to work; 55 percent of the others do not receive benefits. Nearly seven in ten people willing to work are women; 80 percent of them are married or living together.

People prepared to work by gender and household position, 2006 *)

*) Other persons in the household are mainly children aged 15 years or older living at home

Many rely on their own initiative

Centres for Work and Income (CWIs) can help people find a job. Registration at the CWI is generally imperative for recipients of unemployment or income support benefits; 80 percent of them are registered at a CWI.
Persons not receiving any kind of benefit are also allowed to register at a CWI, but rarely do. Only 12 percent of people willing to work are registered, whereas 44 percent of them are actively looking for work. So most people prepared to work avoid the CWIs. They scan the unemployment ads in the newspapers, for instance, to find a job.

Jobless people prepared to work, 2006

Unemployed labour force

Altogether, 465 thousand jobless persons willing to work are actively looking for a job. Nearly 90 percent were available for the labour market within four weeks. They constitute the unemployed labour force. More than half of the unemployed labour force receive some kind of benefit, in most cases unemployment benefits.

Maaike Hersevoort