Job numbers plummet

The number of jobs of employees was down by 140 thousand in the third quarter of 2009 on the year before. This is a 1.7 percent decrease and the biggest drop in 25 years. In the second quarter the number of jobs was down by 72 thousand on the year before. Until the second quarter of 2009 the number of jobs in the Netherlands had shown continuous growth. 

The most substantial drop occurred in business services hitting the temp agencies in particular. Other parts of the private sector, such as the manufacturing industry, construction, hotels and restaurants and transport, also faced increasing job losses. On the other hand, in the public sector, health care and social work saw an increase in jobs.

The total number of jobs of employees (full-time and part-time) in the Netherlands amounted to nearly 7.9 million. In terms of full-time jobs, this comes down to 5.9 million, 100 thousand less than the third quarter of 2008.

Employment is subject to seasonal fluctuations. After adjustment for the seasonal effects, the number of jobs in the third quarter was down by 0.6 percent on the preceding quarter.

Wages and salaries of employees per FTE were 1.8 percent higher in the third quarter than one year before. In the second quarter the increase was 2.6 percent. Labour costs per year, including employers’ contributions, rose at the same rate as the wages (1.8 percent).

Growth rate jobs and economic growth