Top sectors employ over 1.6 million people

The so-called top sectors include more than 260 thousand businesses. Together, they accounted for more than one third of total output value in 2010. Two thirds of spending on innovation projects by the Dutch private sector occurred in these top sectors.

Higher innovation costs

Nine sectors were labelled as top sectors. Top sectors occupy an important position in the government’s policy towards the private sector. Statistics Netherlands has selected some forty indicators to monitor these businesses in the future. The first results are presented in this article.
The survey shows that the nine top sectors included nearly one quarter of all businesses in the Netherlands and accounted for more than 37 percent of total output value in 2010. With 97 thousand enterprises, the creative industry is the largest top sector; energy is the smallest top sector with more than 1 thousand enterprises.

The top sectors spent 8.5 billion euro on innovation projects in 2010, nearly two thirds of total spending on innovation by the entire Dutch private sector. The high-tech sector accounted for approximately half of innovation-related costs.

Dutch top sectors by various characteristics, 2010

Relatively few employees higher educated

Altogether, the top sectors employ more than 1.6 million people. Approximately 35 percent of employees in the Netherlands are educated at higher vocational or university level. The proportion of higher educated top sector employees is marginally lower. With more than 50 percent, the creative industry is an exception. In particular employees in the subsector cultural heritage (museums and monument conservation), are often educated at higher vocational or university level. In the top sectors agro & food, horticulture and transport & storage, the number of higher educated employees is significantly lower.

Higher educated employees, 2010

Carlijn Verkleij and Egon Dietz