No further fall in unemployment

An average 321 thousand people in the Netherlands were unemployed in the period December 2007- February 2008. This is the equivalent of 4.2 percent of the labour force. Twelve months previously the unemployment rate was 5.1 percent. The seasonally adjusted figure not decreased further since the period October-December 2007, according to figures released today by Statistics Netherlands.

Unemployment unchanged

After correction for seasonal effects, unemployment in the period December 2007 – February 2008 was 314 thousand. Following a period of continuous decrease, this is the second successive three-month period that it has not decreased further. Because the figure is based on a sample survey, the long-term development presents a more reliable picture. In the last six months, unemployment has fallen by about 6 thousand people on average.

Unemployment 63 thousand down on twelve months ago

Unemployment was 321 thousand in the period December 2007-February 2008. This is 63 thousand fewer people than twelve months previously. The largest decrease was for 25-44 year-olds. In this group unemployment fell by 41 thousand persons in the space of one year, to 130 thousand.

Youth unemployment fell to 70 thousand, 11 thousand down on twelve months ago.

For the over-45s, unemployment fell by 11 thousand to 122 thousand.