Private sector more sombre about job vacancies

The mood of the Dutch private sector concerning developments on the job market has deteriorated in the past few months. In September, pessimists just constituted the majority, after five months of cautious optimism.

The monthly vacancy indicator provides a quick indication of the trend in job vacancies in the private sector, based on the opinions of businesses in this sector. Before the recent marginal decrease, the mood among these businesses regarding job vacancies had improved almost continuously for eighteen months.

Vacancy indicator

Construction sector increasingly optimistic about job vacancies

Opinions on job vacancy trends differ greatly within the private sector. In September, optimism prevailed in the manufacturing industry and construction. However, the mood in the construction sector is more optimistic, whereas manufacturers have become less optimistic. The sentiment in the commercial services sector also deteriorated and has been negative since the spring of 2011.

Number of job vacancies rises further

On 14 August 2014 Statistics Netherlands published quarterly data on the number of job vacancies: just over 108 thousand at the end of June, up from just under 104 thousand at the end of March. This was the fourth consecutive quarterly increase in the number of vacancies. There were significantly more vacancies in the private sector, but only slightly more in the public sector.

Job vacancies, seasonally adjusted

More figures can be found in dossier Business cycle.

For more information on economic indicators, see the Economic Monitor.