Number of unfilled job vacancies marginally down

• 122 thousand unfilled job vacancies
• Steep decline comes to an end
• Commercial services only sector showing decline
• Unfilled job vacancies large companies unchanged

According to the most recent figures released by Statistics Netherlands, the seasonally adjusted number of unfilled job vacancies was 122 thousand at the end of December 2009, i.e. 6 thousand fewer than in the previous quarter. The number of unfilled job vacancies in the fourth quarter of 2009 declined marginally. After levelling off in the third quarter of 2009, the period of steep decline appears to be over. Although the number of vacancies remains low, it is still 32 thousand above the previous record low in 2003.

With 253 thousand, the number of unfilled job vacancies reached a new record at the end of September 2007 and remained at a high level of over 240 thousand for the next twelve months. After the third quarter of 2008, the number of vacancies plummeted; in the period up to and including June 2009 by 120 thousand. In the third quarter of 2009, the number of unfilled vacancies remained stable and declined marginally in the fourth quarter.

The sector commercial services accounts entirely for the decline in the fourth quarter of 2009. The number of open job vacancies was reduced by 5  thousand in this sector relative to the previous quarter. Vacancies remained stable in other sectors. In small enterprises, in particular those employing fewer than 10 persons, the number of open job vacancies was reduced. In large companies employing more than 100 persons, the number of unfilled job vacancies levelled off for the first time in 5 quarters.

In the fourth quarter of last year, 171 thousand new job vacancies were added and 176 thousand filled. Although the number of unfilled vacancies is low, the number of new vacancies is substantial and many people still manage to find new jobs.

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