No further increase in labour force participation

More recent figures are available on this topic. View the latest figures here.
© ANP / Berlinda van Dam
The increase in labour force participation, which continued almost uninterrupted in the last six months of 2023, came to a halt early this year. In March, 73.2 percent of the population aged 15 to 74 were in paid employment, the same percentage as in February. In January, the labour participation rate was 73.4 percent. Unemployment rose slightly in the previous three months, by 3 thousand per month on average. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this on the basis of newly released figures. At the end of March, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) recorded 174.5 thousand people receiving unemployment (WW) benefit, nearly one thousand more than in February.
In March, 371 thousand people were unemployed. The unemployment rate – the number of unemployed compared to the total labour force – stood at 3.6 percent. Unemployment has been hovering around this rate since July 2023.

Unemployment and WW unemployment benefits
YearMonthUnemployment (15 to 74 yrs, seasonally adjusted) (x 1,000)WW unemployment benefits (15 yrs up to state pension age) (x 1,000)
2017January588419
2017February582416
2017March571415
2017April563401
2017May564386
2017June555372
2017July544364
2017August534362
2017September529351
2017October511343
2017November504337
2017December503330
2018January487335
2018February474330
2018March465327
2018April463314
2018May460301
2018June463288
2018July458279
2018August463278
2018September451274
2018October444269
2018November433267
2018December437263
2019January437279
2019February419274
2019March416268
2019April409257
2019May411251
2019June423243
2019July424234
2019August432237
2019September432233
2019October432233
2019November434228
2019December409223
2020January390241
2020February383240
2020March388250
2020April427292
2020May439301
2020June513301
2020July532301
2020August533292
2020September519278
2020October509278
2020November485276
2020December476286
2021January448289
2021February450286
2021March439282
2021April427266
2021May419250
2021June405238
2021July393224
2021August406213
2021September399208
2021October382199
2021November359189
2021December369192
2022January354193
2022February336188
2022March327184
2022April316175
2022May323165
2022June339161
2022July353157
2022August378152
2022September382152
2022October365150
2022November364145
2022December352149
2023January360154
2023February356154
2023March357158
2023April343156
2023May353151
2023June353153
2023July362152
2023August364156
2023September371155
2023October361156
2023November357160
2023December361161
2024January368167
2024February379174
2024March371175

This means that unemployment remains at a relatively low level and the labour participation rate is still historically high. But labour force participation growth has stagnated in the first months of 2024, in line with the deteriorating economic picture.

Economically inactive population has not shrunk further

In the first months of 2024, approximately 9.8 million people aged 15 to 74 were in paid employment. In addition to the unemployed labour force, 3.2 million people were not in paid employment (economically inactive). These people were not seeking and/or immediately available for work recently and are therefore not counted as part of the labour force. Many of these are retirees and people who are unable to work due to sickness or work incapacity. Since the coronavirus crisis, this group has shrunk from 3.4 million to 3.2 million, but ceased contracting in early 2024.

UWV: Number of unemployment (WW) benefits rose slightly

At the end of March 2024, UWV recorded 174.5 thousand recipients of unemployment benefits. That was 800 thousand more than in the previous month (+0.5 percent). In March, 1.6 thousand new unemployment benefits were granted and 20.8 thousand benefits were terminated.

UWV: Number of unemployment benefits increased mainly in manufacturing

The number of unemployment benefits increased the most in the metal industry, installation and vehicles (+4.4 percent) and other manufacturing (3.9 percent). The same applied to the food and beverage and chemical industries, in which the number of unemployment benefits in both sectors increased by 1.5 percent. A decline was seen in agriculture, landscaping and fisheries (-3.9 percent). There is a strong seasonal pattern in agriculture with less work during the winter months and more from spring onwards.

Reduced employment inflow from outside the labour force

Trends in the number of people in and without employment are the result of underlying flows between those in employment, the unemployed and those who are not part of the labour force. This is visualised in the chart below.



The number of people in paid employment can increase when those without employment find a job. There are also people outside the labour force, such as students school leavers, and people re-entering the labour market who find employment. Recently, fewer people have been moving from economic inactivity to being part of the employed labour force (economically active). Between December 2023 and March 2024, this applied to 182 thousand people.

In addition, more people in employment left the labour market. Between September and December last year, that number was 183 thousand, while in the period from December to March it was 213 thousand. This includes people who retired or young people who left a part-time job and did not seek other employment. Over the past three months, the number of people in employment has decreased slightly by 5 thousand, on balance.

Trends in employed labour force
   Trends in employed labour force (Seasonally adjusted, change from three months earlier, x 1,000)Net inflow from outside labour force (Seasonally adjusted, change from three months earlier, x 1,000)Net inflow from enemployed labour force (Seasonally adjusted, change from three months earlier, x 1,000)
2020Januari66363
2020Februari65-570
2020Maart-1-5654
2020April-179-172-6
2020Mei-189-157-32
2020Juni-131-48-83
2020Juli1730-14
2020Augustus392118
2020September10-5262
2020Oktober47-1359
2020November65559
2020December711952
2021Januari53-760
2021Februari49-352
2021Maart22-3052
2021April7-4047
2021Mei-11-6251
2021Juni802555
2021Juli933360
2021Augustus1004852
2021September601643
2021Oktober722844
2021November993365
2021December751461
2022Januari791564
2022Februari54-762
2022Maart1104564
2022April1135460
2022Mei1216159
2022Juni531439
2022Juli19-220
2022Augustus-9-135
2022September19136
2022Oktober583721
2022November1086543
2022December1358055
2023Januari945044
2023Februari51645
2023Maart12-2334
2023April26-1340
2023Mei26-632
2023Juni19-1434
2023Juli2-1920
2023Augustus15-520
2023September3-1316
2023Oktober32032
2023November441132
2023December743836
2024Januari561738
2024Februari5-1318
2024Maart-5-3125

Unemployment rose slightly

Unemployment can increase or decrease due to four different changes in people’s circumstances. Two of these can lead to lower unemployment: when unemployed people find a job, and when they stop seeking employment and leave the labour market.

There are also two changes that can lead to higher unemployment: when people who have lost their job seek employment, and when people who were previously not part of the labour market start seeking employment. If people in these groups do not find work immediately, they become part of the unemployed labour force. Over the past three months, uemployment rose slightly by 3 thousand, on balance.

Every month, CBS publishes figures on the labour force in accordance with guidelines of the International Labour Organization (ILO). The corresponding indicators, i.e. the employed and unemployed labour force, are used around the world to describe cyclical developments on the labour market. Monthly figures are essential in this respect. In addition, UWV issues its own monthly figures on unemployment benefits. Figures released by UWV do not correspond one-to-one with the labour force indicators. For more details on the different sources, see our technical explanation (Dutch only).