Number of Dutch workers no longer growing due to aging population; Unemployment stable

The number of officially unemployed people is rising, with more than 8.5 million in the Netherlands currently not in the workforce, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The unemployment rate came in at 4 percent in August, with the number of unemployed people rising by about 3,000 on average over the past three months. In the meantime, the number of employed people stays the same, the statistics office reports.

The group of unemployed individuals has been growing since 2023, aided by non-working migrants and an aging population.

On the other hand, the number of those who work remains at 9.6 million. The two groups are also reportedly getting closer and closer in size.

However, looking at the month-by-month dynamics, it can be seen that the number of people in paid work fell by about 1,000 a month in the last three months. Additionally, the Benefits agency UWV counted a 1.4 percent rise in benefits at the end of last month compared to July.

The number of unemployed individuals has been slowly rising since early 2023. The number was at 343,000 in April 2023 and now rose to 408,000 last month.

On top of that there are 3.2 million people who have not been able to immediately start work or have not looked recently for it. This group mainly included people who have retired or have an illness or a disability. They are, therefore, not counted as part of the Dutch workforce.