Local government: job growth and ageing employees

Employment in local government rose by 13 percent from just about 214 thousand jobs at the end of 1999 to more than 241 thousand at the end of 2003. The total job growth in the Netherlands was 3.4 percent in this period. This development is partly caused by a rapid growth in the number of part-time jobs at the local government level. Local government comprises municipalities, provinces, water boards and intermunicipal corporations.

More employees in local government

In 2003 the number of jobs in local government increased by 2 percent, whereas employment in the Netherlands as a whole fell by 1 percent.

Across the board job growth in local government

In all sectors of local government job growth exceeded the nationwide average in the period 1999-2003.

The most substantial growth by 18.5 percent was found in the sector intermunicipal corporations. Municipalities are the largest sector at local government level, accounting for 82 percent of all jobs. Job growth in the sector municipalities rose by nearly 13 percent.

Older and younger employees in local government

Ageing employees in local government

At local government level the number of older employees has increased rapidly compared to other sectors. Towards the end of 2003 over-55s accounted for 16 percent all staff. Nationwide this was only 9 percent in 2002. In other sectors such as manufacturing industry (11 percent) and education (15 percent) the percentage of older employees is also relatively high. The share of employees under the age of thirty has hardly changed since 1999. In 2003 it was 9.5 percent in local government. In 2002 more than a quarter of all persons employed were younger than thirty.

Inflow personnel in local government in 2003

The increase in the share of older employees in local government is also affected by the high inflow of employees over the age of 30. Two in every three new employees in local government were older than thirty in 2003. One in eight newcomers were even over fifty.

Antwan Vos