Number of jobs continues to fall
The number of jobs of employees was 147 thousand lower in the second quarter of 2013 than in the same period of 2012, a reduction by 1.9 percent. The number of employee jobs has been below the level of twelve months previously for six consecutive quarters now and each quarter the number of jobs lost is growing.
Jobs were lost across all sectors. The construction sector and the sector business services suffered most notably. In both sectors, employment was 28 thousand down from twelve months previously. Employment was also considerably down in the sector trade, transport, hotels and restaurants (24 thousand).
Growth rate of jobs and economic growth
Altogether, there were nearly 7.7 million full-time and part-time employee jobs in the Netherlands. The number of labour years (the number of jobs converted to full-time equivalents) stood at nearly 5.8 million, i.e. 2.0 percent down from the second quarter of 2012.
If seasonal effects are taken into account, the number of jobs in the second quarter of 2013 was 41 thousand (0.5 percent) down from the first quarter of 2013. The number of jobs of employees has been in decline for two years now, but the decrease in the second quarter of 2013 was less substantial than in the preceding quarter, when 53 thousand jobs were lost.
Jobs of employees, seasonally adjusted
More figures can be found in dossier Business cycle.
For more information on economic indicators, the reader is referred to the Economic Monitor.