No further rise in unemployment

According to new figures from Statistics Netherlands an average 486 thousand people in the Netherlands were unemployed in the second quarter of 2004. This is 90 thousand more than in the second quarter of 2003. In the first quarter of 2004 the year-on-year increase was 128 thousand.

In the second quarter an average 6.4 percent of the labour force were unemployed. This is up from 5.3 percent in the same period last year.

Standstill curbs rate of increase

Seasonal influences had hardly any net effect in the period April-June 2004. After correction for these effects the unemployed labour force is 485 thousand. This is 10 thousand lower than that for the period March-May 2004.

Seen over a longer period, unemployment has increased by an average 9 thousand a month in the last six months. As this average growth rate was more than 10 thousand a month for a rime, the rate of increase has decreased.

Smaller increase in youth unemployment

Youth unemployment was 4 thousand higher in the second quarter of 2004 than in the first quarter: an average 126 thousand people aged 15-24 years were unemployed in April-June 2004. Youth unemployment usually rises in the second quarter, as school-leavers and holiday workers enter the labour market. The increase is relatively small this year. In the second quarter of 2003 it was 22 thousand, and in 2002 it was 14 thousand.

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