Dutch unemployment rises to 3.9% in August: CBS

Over the past three months, unemployment has risen by an average of 5,000 people per month, mainly due to more people entering the job market without finding work right away. Meanwhile, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) reported 187,000 active unemployment (WW) benefits at the end of August.

In addition to the 401,000 people who were unemployed, 3.2 million people were not actively seeking work or not immediately available for work in August. Many of these are retirees and people who are unable to work due to illness or occupational disability. These people are not counted as part of the labour force. Averaged over the past three months, the number of people outside the labour force has fallen by an average of 9,000 per month. The number of people in paid employment rose, by an average of 2,000 per month over the same period.

At the end of August 2025, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) recorded 187,400 current unemployment (WW) benefits, a slight increase of 200 compared to July. In August, 21,800 new benefits were issued, while 22,100 were terminated.

The unemployment rate among people aged 45 and over in the labour force increased to 2.5 per cent last month. The rate has not been this high since December 2022. It subsequently fell to 2.1 per cent in December 2024, and has been rising since then, CBS said in a press release.

Among people aged 25 to 44, the unemployment rate in December 2024 stood at 3 per cent and has been rising since then, reaching 3.3 per cent in August. However, among people aged 15 to 24, the unemployment rate fluctuated slightly more in the past few months. It stood at 8.6 per cent in August, which was slightly lower than it was in December 2024.

Unemployment can increase or decrease due to four different changes in people’s circumstances. Two of these can lead to lower unemployment. The first change is when an unemployed person finds a job. The second is when an unemployed person stops seeking work and leaves the labour market. In August, 232,000 people who had been unemployed three months previously, found employment.

There are also two changes that can lead to higher unemployment. The first happens when an employed person loses their job and the second when a person who was previously unavailable for work decides to seek employment. If people in these groups do not find work immediately, they become part of the unemployed labour force. The total number of people who became unemployed in August was (rounded) 248,000. Over the past three months, there has been an increase in the number of people who started seeking work from the nonworking population, and who did not find work immediately.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (RR)