Number of job vacancies continues to rise

15/05/2014 15:00

Third consecutive quarterly increase in vacancies
Largest rise in commercial services
Labour market more dynamic

The number of job vacancies rose by 7 thousand in the first quarter of 2014. At the end of the first quarter of 2014 there were more job vacancies in nearly all industry sectors. This is now the third quarter in a row that vacancies have risen, Statistics Netherlands announced today.

Trade, ICT, hotels and restaurants push up labour demand

Commercial services contributed most to the increase. This was mainly the result of more vacancies in the trade and ICT sectors. In addition, the warm March weather boosted the extra demand for workers in hotels and restaurants. In construction, too, more jobs were available.

Rising labour market dynamics

There were 174 thousand new job vacancies in the first quarter of 2014, 21 thousand more than twelve months previously. The number of filled vacancies was also higher. This indicates greater labour market dynamics. More job vacancies does not necessarily mean lower unemployment. For some vacancies it is difficult to find suitable candidates in the short term. Recruitment and selection procedures may also be quite lengthy.