Economic picture less negative in August

The economic picture in the Netherlands was less negative in August than it was in July, according to the CBS Business Cycle Tracer. In the Tracer for August, 9 of the 13 indicators were below their long-term trend.

The CBS Business Cycle Tracer is a tool used to monitor the state of the Dutch economy. It provides an overall macroeconomic picture of the past month or quarter based on all the figures published by Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The situation will still vary between households, enterprises or regions, however.

Consumers less negative, producers more positive

Consumers were less negative and producers were more positive in August than they were in July. Producer confidence was above the average for the past twenty years, while consumer confidence was below the average.

Exports, household consumption and investment up

In June 2026, the total volume of goods exported (adjusted for the number of working days) was up by 3.1 percent, year on year. Companies in the Netherlands exported more petroleum products, machinery and electronic products, in particular.

Households spent 1.7 percent more on goods and services in June, year on year (adjusted for price changes and for differences in the shopping day pattern). They spent more on goods, in particular.

In June, the volume of investment in tangible fixed assets was up by 2.7 percent, year on year. Investments in buildings and other road transport (such as lorries, trailers, vans and buses) were notably higher than a year earlier. The figures on investment have not been adjusted for calendar effects. June 2026 had one more working day than June 2025.

Manufacturing output nearly 5 percent higher in June, year on year

In June 2026, the calendar-adjusted output of the Dutch manufacturing sector was 4.6 percent higher than it was in June 2025. The increase in May was 6.8 percent. Manufacturing output fell by 1.3 percent relative to May.

Fewer bankruptcies in July

Adjusted for the number of court session days, there were 36 fewer bankruptcies in July than in June, an decrease of 12 percent.

House prices up by nearly 4 percent in July, year on year

The average price of an owner-occupied home (excluding newbuild homes) was 3.9 percent higher in July, year on year, compared to a rise of 4.1 percent in June. The year-on-year price increase for existing owner-occupied homes has been slowing steadily since the end of 2024. July prices were up by 0.5 percent over prices in June.

Unemployment up, fewer hours worked, fewer vacancies

Unemployment rose to 4.0 percent in July. A total of 404 thousand people were unemployed in July. Unemployment increased by an average of 2 thousand per month over the past three months.

In Q2 2026, employees and self-employed persons worked over 3.7 billion hours in total. Adjusted for seasonal effects, this was down by 0.4 percent from Q1.

At the end of Q2 2026, there were 375 thousand job vacancies, a decrease of 3 thousand compared to the previous quarter. The decline in the number of vacancies is continuing.

In Q1 2026, the turnover of temporary employment and job placement agencies was 3.8 percent higher, year on year.

Economic growth of 0.4 percent in Q2 2026

According to the first estimate from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.4 percent in Q2 2026, relative to Q1. Household consumption and public consumption made the most positive contributions to growth.