Unemployment down
Seasonally adjusted unemployment in the Netherlands stood at 292 thousand for the period July-September 2008. This is 4 thousand lower than the previous three-monthly period June-August. Over the past six months, unemployment has fallen by an average of approximately 4 thousand persons a month.
Unemployment in the period July-September was 44 thousand down on the same period last year. The most substantial decrease was recorded in the age category 25-44 years. Unemployment also decreased among under-25s and over-45s. Female unemployment dropped more rapidly than male unemployment.
An average 3.7 percent of the total Dutch labour force were unemployed in the period July-September, compared with 4.3 percent in the period July-September 2007. The unemployment rate for women was noticeably higher than that for men: 4.3 percent and 3.2 percent respectively.
