Fewer jobs

The number of jobs of employees was 145 thousand lower in the first quarter of 2010 than in the first quarter of 2009; a fall of 1.8 percent. The decrease is in the same order of magnitude as in the fourth quarter of 2009.

The total number of jobs of employees in the Netherlands, full-time as well as part-time, amounted to 7.8 million in the first quarter of 2010. It is the equivalent of  5.8 million full-time jobs. This number was 120 thousand lower than in the first quarter of 2009.

Employment is clearly subject to seasonal variation. After adjustment for these effects, the number of jobs in the first quarter was 0.5 percent down on that in the fourth quarter of 2009. Employment fell for the fifth consecutive quarter.

Growth rate jobs and economic growth