Number of employed persons further up

More recent figures are available on this topic. View the latest figures here.
© Hollandse Hoogte
In the period March through May, the number of people aged 15 to 74 in paid employment grew by 11 thousand per month on average. There were 8.9 million people in work in May. Since February, unemployment has declined by an average of 3 thousand per month and currently stands at 302 thousand. These are people who did not have paid work, and who indicated they had recently looked and had been immediately available for work. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of new figures. At the end of May, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) recorded 251 thousand unemployment (WW) benefits.

There were 4.1 million people who did not have paid work for a variety of reasons. In addition to the unemployed mentioned earlier, 3.8 million people had not looked or/nor been immediately available for work recently. These people are not counted towards the labour force. Their number increased by 1 thousand per month on average over the previous three months.

Unemployment indicator

In order to enable comparison of cyclical movements in the labour market between countries, the unemployment indicator of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) is often taken as a measure. According to this indicator, the ‘unemployed’ includes all 15 to 74-year-olds who do not have paid work but who have been looking for paid work recently and who are immediately available. Over the previous three months, unemployment declined by 3 thousand per month. There were 302 thousand unemployed in May, 2 thousand more than in April. 3.3 percent of the labour force was unemployed. At the end of 2018, this percentage was below the lowest pre-crisis level on record for the first time.

Unemployment (ILO indicator, seasonally adjusted) and unemployment benefits
   Unemployment indicator (ILO)
(15 to 74 yrs, seasonally adjusted) (x 1,000)
WW benefits (15 yrs to pension entitlement age) (x 1,000)
2011January430284
2011February425280
2011March413270
2011April411261
2011May414256
2011June409252
2011July425254
2011August427256
2011September442252
2011October458253
2011November474258
2011December473270
2012January486292
2012February482299
2012March487296
2012April502292
2012May501291
2012June502291
2012July518298
2012August517304
2012September530304
2012October539310
2012November554322
2012December572340
2013January589369
2013February601377
2013March619380
2013April625380
2013May632378
2013June648382
2013July666395
2013August670399
2013September675400
2013October680408
2013November677419
2013December687438
2014January691460
2014February699460
2014March692454
2014April684443
2014May672436
2014June656431
2014July648437
2014August637430
2014September630420
2014October632419
2014November635425
2014December643441
2015January645458
2015February633455
2015March626443
2015April625427
2015May617416
2015June611410
2015July603420
2015August604420
2015September609417
2015October616421
2015November596427
2015December588446
2016January574465
2016February581469
2016March574470
2016April572461
2016May560448
2016June550438
2016July541432
2016August521427
2016September510424
2016October502420
2016November499410
2016December482412
2017January480419
2017February473416
2017March463415
2017April456401
2017May456386
2017June446372
2017July436364
2017August426362
2017September422351
2017October404343
2017November397337
2017December395330
2018January380335
2018February367330
2018March357327
2018April355314
2018May352301
2018June354288
2018July348279
2018August353278
2018September343274
2018October337269
2018November326267
2018December329263
2019January329279
2019February312274
2019March307268
2019April300257
2019May302251

UWV: 50 thousand fewer WW benefits than one year previously

At the end of May 2019, the UWV provided 251 thousand WW benefits. This number was down by 7 thousand (-2.6 percent) on the previous month. Relative to May 2018, there was a decrease in the number of current unemployment benefits of 50 thousand (-16.7 percent).

The number of current WW benefits declined across all sectors. Construction saw the largest decline relative to one year previously (-30.8 percent). The decline was also substantial in the sector care and welfare (-23.5 percent).

At the end of May 2019, there were 244 thousand recipients of one or more unemployment benefits. 27.6 percent of them received their benefit for one year or more. In May 2018, this share was still one-third.

Labour participation rising less rapidly

The number of employed continues to grow, albeit less rapidly. In the previous three months, there was an increase of 11 thousand per month, versus 16 thousand per month in the first quarter of 2019. As a percentage of the population, 68.7 percent were in work in May, just as in March and April. Labour participation among men has remained virtually unchanged since November last year and amounted to 73.1 percent. Among women, it rose by 0.5 percent over the same period reaching 64.3 percent.

Net labour participation
   Total (%)Men (%)Women (%)
2008January67.474.160.7
2008February67.674.460.9
2008March67.774.460.9
2008April67.974.661.2
2008May67.974.661.1
2008June67.974.761.1
2008July6874.761.2
2008August6874.761.2
2008September67.974.661.3
2008October68.174.761.4
2008November68.174.761.5
2008December68.174.661.5
2009January68.274.761.8
2009February68.374.662
2009March68.274.462
2009April6874.261.7
2009May67.97461.7
2009June67.773.861.5
2009July67.573.661.4
2009August67.373.561.2
2009September67.273.361.1
2009October67.173.260.9
2009November66.97360.8
2009December66.972.960.8
2010January66.872.760.8
2010February66.672.460.8
2010March66.572.260.7
2010April66.772.361
2010May66.872.361.2
2010June66.672.361
2010July66.772.461.1
2010August66.772.361
2010September66.772.261.1
2010October66.772.361.2
2010November66.872.261.3
2010December66.772.261.3
2011January66.571.961.2
2011February66.571.761.4
2011March66.371.661.1
2011April66.371.461.2
2011May66.271.361.1
2011June66.471.661.3
2011July66.271.561
2011August66.471.661.1
2011September66.67261.2
2011October66.77261.3
2011November66.77261.4
2011December66.972.161.6
2012January66.77261.4
2012February66.671.961.4
2012March66.571.761.3
2012April66.571.661.3
2012May66.571.761.3
2012June66.471.661.3
2012July66.371.461.2
2012August66.571.561.4
2012September66.471.461.5
2012October66.471.361.4
2012November66.271.161.2
2012December66.17161.1
2013January65.870.761
2013February65.770.560.9
2013March65.770.560.9
2013April65.670.460.8
2013May65.570.160.8
2013June65.470.160.7
2013July65.27060.5
2013August65.27060.5
2013September65.370.160.5
2013October65.470.360.4
2013November65.370.160.3
2013December64.969.959.8
2014January64.87059.6
2014February64.769.859.6
2014March64.469.759.2
2014April64.569.859.2
2014May64.770.159.3
2014June64.77059.3
2014July64.870.159.4
2014August64.970.259.6
2014September6570.259.8
2014October65.270.559.9
2014November65.370.460.1
2014December65.270.460
2015January65.470.460.3
2015February65.370.460.3
2015March65.370.360.3
2015April65.470.360.4
2015May65.470.360.5
2015June65.470.360.5
2015July65.470.460.4
2015August65.570.560.5
2015September65.470.460.3
2015October65.470.560.2
2015November65.370.560.1
2015December65.470.560.3
2016January65.470.660.3
2016February65.470.560.4
2016March65.570.560.5
2016April65.770.760.8
2016May65.770.560.9
2016June65.770.660.8
2016July65.970.761
2016August6670.861.1
2016September6670.961.2
2016October66.171.161.1
2016November66.171.161.1
2016December66.271.161.2
2017January66.371.361.4
2017February66.27161.5
2017March66.471.261.6
2017April66.471.361.6
2017May66.571.261.7
2017June66.671.361.8
2017July66.771.561.9
2017August66.871.562.1
2017September66.971.762.2
2017October6771.762.2
2017November67.171.962.2
2017December6771.962.2
2018January67.272.162.3
2018February67.272.162.4
2018March67.472.262.6
2018April67.572.262.8
2018May67.672.463
2018June67.772.463.1
2018July67.872.463.2
2018August6872.663.5
2018September68.272.763.7
2018October68.272.863.7
2018November68.473.163.8
2018December68.47363.9
2019January68.673.164
2019February68.673.164.1
2019March68.773.164.2
2019April68.773.164.3
2019May68.773.164.3

Unused labour potential

Every month, CBS publishes figures on the size of the employed labour force and the non-employed population. The latter group comprises the unemployed labour force as well as people not included in the labour force (all these groups follow the ILO definition).

However, the unemployed labour force does not represent all unused labour potential. According to the ILO indicator, this includes other groups of people aside from the unemployed. These people have either looked for work recently or are immediately available for work. They are counted towards the unused labour potential but fall outside the scope of the ILO definition of employment. People who work part-time but want to work more hours and are immediately available are also included in the unused labour potential.

These groups are only reported on every quarter in terms of size and composition. The overall picture provided in the table below is based on the latest quarterly figures (Q1 2019). The total unused labour potential in Q1 2019 comprised 1.1 million people. This was still 1.2 million one year previously. Development of the total unused labour potential closely follows developments in unemployment.

Beroepsbevolking van 15 tot 75 jaar Niet-beroepsbevolking Niet gezocht en niet beschikbaar Wil en/of kan niet werken Wil wel werken Gezocht en niet beschikbaar Beschikbaar en niet gezocht Vanwege weinig resultaat Vanwege andere reden Beroepsbevolking Werkloos (ILO-definitie) Werkzaam Deeltijd Wil meer uren werken, beschikbaar Voltijd

Every month, CBS publishes figures on the labour force in accordance with international guidelines. The corresponding indicators, i.e. the employed and unemployed labour force, are used around the world to describe cyclical developments on the labour market. Monthly figures are essential in this respect. In addition, UWV issues its own monthly figures on unemployment benefits. Figures released by UWV do not correspond one-to-one with the labour force indicators.