No further decline in unemployment in Jan in Netherlands

The employed labour force (15-74 years) grew by an average of 31,000 per month during this period.

At the end of January, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) recorded 154,000 current unemployment (WW) benefits. This was over 5,000 more than in the previous month (plus 3.5 per cent).

In January, the number of WW beneficiaries was down by 20 per cent year on year. Twenty-three thousand new WW benefits were granted and 18 thousand benefits were terminated.

In January, 3.6 million people aged 15 to 74 years did not have paid work for a variety of reasons. Aside from the unemployed, 3.2 million people were not looking and immediately available for work; they are not counted towards the labour force. These are mainly retirees and people unable to work due to illness or disability.

This inactive labour force has dropped by an average of 21,000 per month over the past three months. This means that the inactive labour force has shrunk significantly for the second year in a row: in January 2021, it still included 3.5 million people.

On the other hand, the labour force, i.e. employed plus unemployed people aged 15 to 74 years, grew strongly and includes more than 10 million people since the end of last year. Two years ago, this number still stood at 9.6 million.

ALCHEMPro News Desk (DS)