Economic picture almost equally negative in October

The economic picture in the Netherlands was almost as negative in October as in September, according to the CBS Business Cycle Tracer. In the Tracer for October, 8 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 slightly more negative, producers less positive

Consumers were slightly more negative, while producers were less positive in October than they were in September. 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 August 2026, the total volume of goods exported (adjusted for the number of working days) was up by 4.9 percent, year on year. Companies exported more machinery, in particular. Exports of transport equipment were also higher.

Households in the Netherlands spent 2.1 percent more on goods and services in August, year on year (adjusted for price changes and for differences in the shopping day pattern). They spent more on goods, in particular.

In August, the volume of investment in tangible fixed assets was up by 1.8 percent, year on year. Investment in machinery (including defence equipment), computers and buildings in particular, was higher.

Manufacturing output 12 percent higher in August, year on year

In August 2026, the calendar-adjusted output of the Dutch manufacturing sector was 12.0 percent higher than it was in August 2025. That was the largest increase in over four years. In July, the increase was 9.3 percent. Manufacturing output rose by 3.3 percent in August relative to July.

More bankruptcies in September

Adjusted for the number of court session days, there were 16 more bankruptcies in September than in August, an increase of 5 percent.

Price increase of existing owner-occupied homes continued to slow in September

The average price of an existing owner-occupied home was 2.9 percent higher in September, year on year. In August, the price increase was 3.3 percent. This means that the year-on-year price increase of existing owner-occupied homes has been slowing almost continuously since the end of 2024. House prices in September were down by an average of 0.4 percent from August.

Unemployment up, hours worked up, vacancies unchanged

A total of 408 thousand people were unemployed in September 2026. Unemployment has increased by an average of 5 thousand per month over the past three months. The unemployment rate stood at 4.0 percent in September, the same as in August.

In Q3 2026, employees and self-employed persons worked over 3.7 billion hours in total. Adjusted for seasonal effects, this is 0.3 percent more than in Q2.

At the end of Q3 2026, there were 375 thousand job vacancies, virtually the same as at the end of the previous quarter.

In Q2 2026, the turnover of temporary employment and job placement agencies was 5.8 percent higher, year on year.

Economic growth of 0.6 percent in Q3 2026

According to the first estimate from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the Netherlands’ gross domestic product (GDP) grew by 0.6 percent in Q3 2026, relative to Q2. The increase in GDP in the third quarter of 2026 was mainly attributable to the trade balance (exports – imports) and an increase in inventory changes.