Number of open job vacancies down
- Number of job vacancies down by 7 thousand
- Fewer vacant jobs in construction and trade
- Lowest number of new vacancies since 2003
Adjusted for seasonal variation, 101 thousand job vacancies were unfilled by the end of last year, i.e. a decrease by 7 thousand relative to the previous quarter. Figures released by Statistics Netherlands show that the number of vacant jobs has declined continually during the past eighteen months.
The number of vacant jobs is falling across all sectors. There were 3 thousand vacant jobs in the construction sector by the end of last year, a reduction by half relative to eighteen months ago. The number of vacant jobs also declined noticeably in the sector trade where it stood at 17 thousand, 9 thousand below the level of eighteen months ago.
The number of open job vacancies at a particular moment is determined by the number of new vacancies and the number of filled vacancies. In the fourth quarter of last year, 145 thousand new vacancies were registered, 22 thousand fewer than one year previously. The number of new job vacancies has not been at such a low level since the third quarter of 2003. With 156 thousand, the number of filled job vacancies was also significantly lower in the fourth quarter than twelve months ago. Again, the labour market has become less dynamic than one year ago.