Insight into the current situation and developments in the Dutch labour market.
Labour market activity
The labour market activity indicates the active labour supply within the Dutch labour force (excluding self-employed persons and entrepreneurs). These are the people who are now actively looking for a (new) job. In addition, there is a large group of passive job seekers. They are not actively looking for another job, but they do keep an eye on the labour market.
Job changes
This figure shows which part of the Dutch working population (excluding freelancers and entrepreneurs) has found other/new jobs in the past 12 months. It says something about the dynamics in the labour market. The figures relate to people who have found a job with a new employer. Internal job changes are not included.
Sourcing pressure
The sourcing pressure indicates which part of the Dutch working population (excluding freelancers and entrepreneurs) is approached by recruiters, employers and/or agencies for a new job at least on a quarterly basis. The sourcing pressure is related to the scarcity on the labour market. The more desirable (scarce) people are, the more often they are approached.
Unemployment
The unemployed labour force consists of all 15 to 75-year-olds living in the Netherlands who do not have a paid job, but have recently looked for work and are immediately available for it. The figures are seasonally adjusted and presented in thousands.
Expected search duration
The expected time spent searching for a job is based on the period of time that people themselves say they need to find a new job. It can be seen as an indicator of workers’ confidence in the labour market. The duration of the application process, the ease of finding work and people’s focus, motivation and commitment influence the actual search duration.
Permanent deal on horizon
The graph shows two series.
1) The people who found other/new jobs in the past 12 months (see Job Changes) and who immediately got a permanent contract.
2) The percentage of flex workers (excluding self-employed) who expect to get a permanent contract at the end of their current flex contract.
Labour shortage
The percentage of entrepreneurs who indicate that they experience labour shortages as an obstacle to their activities. The percentage refers to the total business community (excluding financial institutions and utilities). Figures for the last quarter are still provisional and may change.
Vacancies
The figures relate to the number of new vacancies and are presented in thousands. The forecast model shows the expected development for the coming years. Input for the prognosis includes the estimates of the CPB and the UWV about the economy and the labour market.
Economic growth
The graph shows economic growth (GDP growth) per quarter. It is the year-on-year growth, i.e. growth compared to the same quarter in the previous year. The forecast is based on the development of a number of confidence and sentiment indicators. Click on the link under the graph for more information.
Update Labour Market Fourth Quarter of 2021
The tightness on the labour market is still unprecedented. The supply of labour is small (low unemployment and low labour market activity), although there is a little more movement in the labour market. At the same time, the demand for labour is increasing and people are increasingly approached for other work: sourcing pressure reached a new record.
In 2020 there were just over 1 million new vacancies according to the CBS. That is a considerable decrease compared to the more than 1.2 million new vacancies in 2019. Nevertheless, the vacancy rate (the number of vacancies in relation to the number of jobs of employees) at 12.1% was still above the average of the past 20 years (11.1%). The vacancy rate is comparable to previous periods such as 2016/2017, 2008 and 2005. Years in which the economy grew strongly in contrast to a sharp contraction in 2020. The most recent forecast of the CPB on the Dutch economy and labour market has been calculated in our vacancy model. It is expected that the number of vacancies will rise to 1.1 to 1.2 million on an annual basis in 2021 and 2022. After that the economic growth will slow down and the number of vacancies will also decrease slightly to around 1 million per year.
The indicators on this website are periodically updated. The figures based on our Labour Market Behavioural Survey are updated every quarter. All other indicators and models on this page are updated on a monthly basis.
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