Number of vacancies further down
- 123 thousand open vacancies
- Most substantial decline in sector commercial services
- Labour market less dynamic
Adjusted for seasonal variation, there were 123 thousand unfilled vacancies at the end of December last year, i.e. 10 thousand fewer than one quarter previously. The decline is more substantial than in the third quarter of 2011, according to the latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands.
The number of vacancies dropped in nearly all sectors. The most substantial decline was recorded in the sector commercial services. The number of vacancies in this sector fell by 6 thousand to 73 thousand. Within the sector commercial servies, the number of vacancies declined notably in trade and business services. The number of vacancies in manufacturing industry was 12 thousand, a decrease by 2 thousand from the third quarter.
The labour market was also less dynamic; in the fourth quarter of last year, 167 thousand new vacancies were registered, 14 thousand fewer than in the fourth quarter of 2010. The number of filled vacancies amounted to 181 thousand in the fourth quarter, i.e. as many as in the same period in 2010.