fewer young people in the Caribbean Netherlands than in the Netherlands have a side job

Around three in ten young people in the Caribbean Netherlands are employed. It is more difficult for young inhabitants on the islands than those who live in the European part of the Netherlands to combine education with a side job.  Half of young people on Bonaire and St Eustatius are not looking for a job and not available to start work. On Saba this is even the case for 64 percent of 15-24-year-olds. In the Netherlands, nearly six in ten young people have a small job and one quarter are not available for the labour market and not looking for work. These are just some results from the  Caribbean Netherlands Labour Force Survey published by Statistics Netherlands today.

It is much less usual for young people in the Caribbean Netherlands than in the Netherlands  to have a part-time job alongside their education. Sixteen percent of young people on Bonaire who are in education work alongside their studies. On St Eustatius and Saba hardly any young people who go to school have a job. In the Netherlands on the other hand, over half of young people in education also have a small job. Being in education is also one the main reasons for people on the islands not wanting to or not being available for work. On Saba it is even the most important reason. Relatively many medical students live there; they attend the medical school located on the island.
The difference between the European and the Caribbean Netherlands is partly caused by the smaller number of part-time jobs available in businesses like supermarkets and restaurants in the Caribbean Netherlands than in the Netherlands. Bonaire is an exception in this respect: it has a significant hotel and restaurant sector. Moreover, many jobs in these sectors are taken by employees over 25 years of age.

While fewer young people in the Caribbean have a part-time job than their peers in the Netherlands, labour participation in older age groups, especially the group aged 45 to 74 years is much higher on the islands. Around 65 percent of older people in the Caribbean Netherlands are employed, compared with 55 percent in the Netherlands. Read more about the labour market on the Caribbean Netherlands here.