Job vacancies continue slight growth
- Job vacancies rise for fourth successive quarter
- Largest increase in commercial services
- Labour market more dynamic
Figures released by Statistics Netherlands today show that the number of job vacancies rose slightly in the second quarter of 2014: there were 4 thousand more vacancies than in the previous quarter. This is the fourth quarter in a row that the number of vacancies has risen.
Extra work mainly in trade and commercial services
The commercial services sector accounted for the largest part of the increase in labour demand. As consumers spent more in shops, there were more vacancies in the retail sector, and in business services it was temp agencies who were looking for more staff. In other sectors of the economy, the number of vacancies changed hardly or not at all.
Increasing labour market dynamics
In the second quarter of 2014, 185 thousand jobs became vacant, 23 thousand more than in the same period last year. The number of vacancies filled was also higher. This indicates a more dynamic labour market. However, an increase in the number of job vacancies does not automatically result in a decrease in unemployment. This is because it is difficult for some vacancies to find suitable candidates in the short term. It also usually takes some time to complete recruitment and selection procedures for new staff.