Slightly more jobs than one year ago

In the first quarter of  2011, the number of jobs of employees was 34 thousand higher than in the same quarter of 2010, an increase by 0.4 percent. For the second consecutive time, employment was higher than in the same quarter one year previously. More jobs were realised in the sectors health care and business services. In construction, manufacturing industry and public administration the number of jobs declined relative to one year previously.

Employment is subject to seasonal variation. After adjusting for seasonal effects, the number of jobs in the first quarter was 0.1 percent lower than in the fourth quarter of 2010. In the preceding three quarters, quarter-on-quarter employment had grown.

Altogether (full-time plus part-time jobs), there were over 7.8 million employee jobs in the Netherlands. Converted to full-time equivalents, there were almost 5.9 million jobs in the first quarter, an increase by 0.1 percent from one year ago.

In the first quarter of 2011, wages per working year were 2.4 percent higher than in the same quarter one year previously. The increase is well above the 1.1 percent rise in collectively negotiated wages. Special bonuses granted on an irregular basis had an upward effect on actual wages. Total wage costs per working year were higher than wages of employees, because employers had to pay more for unemployment and health insurance schemes. Total labour costs were 2.5 percent up on the first quarter of 2010.

Growth rate jobs and economic growth

More figures can be found in dossier Business cycle.