Further rise in job vacancies
There were nearly 104 thousand job vacancies at the end of March 2014, up from just under 97 thousand at the end of December 2013. According to Statistics Netherlands, the number of job vacancies increased for the third quarter in a row. Vacancy figures are adjusted for seasonal variation.
The number of job vacancies in the private sector increased by most. In the public sector it rose only marginally. At the end of March, there were 95 thousand vacancies in the private sector and 9 thousand in the public sector.
The number of vacancies per one thousand jobs, the vacancy rate, is an indicator for the tension on the labour market. The vacancy rate increased to 14 at the end of March, compared with 12 in the three preceding quarters. The vacancy rate is not adjusted for seasonal variation.
The labour market was more dynamic than in the first quarter of 2013. There were 174 thousand new vacancies, i.e. 21 thousand more than one year previously, and the number of vacancies filled also increased: 159 thousand, up from 150 thousand.
Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted
Private sector optimistic about vacancies
The vacancy indicator provides a quick indication of the trend in job vacancies in the private sector. For the first time in three years, the indicator was positive in April. In May, the indicator improved further. Optimism prevails in the sectors manufacturing industry and construction, but in the sector commercial services, pessimists still marginally outnumber optimists.
Vacancy indicator
More figures can be found in dossier Business cycle.
For more information on economic indicators, the reader is referred to the Economic Monitor.