More people think their chances of finding employment are very poor

Last year, 70 thousand people, nearly twice as many as in 2008, thought their chances of finding employment were so poor that they have stopped looking altogether. Especially among 55 to 65-year-olds pessimism prevailed.

Half of people willing to work defined as unemployed

Nearly 1.2 million people wanted to work twelve or more hours a week in 2013. More than half of them were unemployed, i.e. they were available in the short term and had been looking for work in the past four weeks.
Additionally, 284 thousand persons are available in the short term, but have not been looking for work recently. Among them are 70 thousand so-called discouraged people, 6 percent of people who want to work. They have not been looking for jobs, because they think their chances of success are slim.

Number of persons willing to work twelve or more hours a week, 2013

Since 2008 twice as many people are discouraged

The number of discouraged people and the number of unemployed go hand in hand. Since 2008, the number of discouraged has nearly doubled. In relative terms, their number has grown notably over the past twenty-four months. Women in particular accounted for the recent increase. The number of discouraged among people who want to work, on the other hand, is fairly stable. Since 2008, it has varied around 6 percent.

Number of unemployed and number of discouraged

Many older people are frustrated

The number of people who have not been looking for work recently, because they think their chances on the labour market are poor, increases in older age categories. With 12.3 percent, the largest proportion was found among 55 to 65-year-olds in 2013, versus 5.3 percent among 35 to 45-year-olds. With 7.2 percent, the share of discouraged people was one and a half times as high among women as among men.

Share discouraged by age and gender, 2013

Hendrika Lautenbach and Marian Driessen