The number of unemployed in the Netherlands exceeds the number of job vacancies for the first time in four years.
For the first time in four years, the number of unemployed in the Netherlands has exceeded the number of available job vacancies. According to data from the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), the balance of the labor market changed during the third quarter of 2025, indicating a clear slowdown in employment activity. For every 100 unemployed, there were only 97 jobs available.
The office reported that the total number of vacant jobs decreased by 2,000 to reach 387,000, while the number of unemployed increased by 13,000 to reach 399,000 people. The report indicated that most of the unemployed – about 84 percent of them – remained out of work for less than a year. The decline in the number of open jobs has continued gradually over the past three years, attributed more to the shift towards digitization and automation and the adoption of new methods for managing staff shortages than to the influx of new workers into the market.
More than half of the job vacancies are concentrated in the retail, healthcare, and business services sectors, while the construction sector continues to suffer from one of the highest labor shortages. This sector recorded the highest job vacancy rate, with 79 vacancies for every 1,000 existing jobs. Nationally, the vacancy rate decreased from 44 to 42, reflecting a decline in hiring pressure across most sectors.
Economist Peter Hein van Mulligen from the Statistics Office said that the rise in unemployment is not only due to job losses. He added in a statement to Dutch broadcaster NOS: "Unemployment has risen in recent months, but the main reason is that a larger number of people have started looking for work." He explained that this includes people suffering from chronic illnesses or professional disabilities, as well as retirees who have decided to return to work.
The total number of workers in the Netherlands during the third quarter reached 9.8 million people, of whom 5.6 million have permanent contracts – an increase of 37,000 from the previous quarter – while the rest work part-time. The report also showed an increase in the number of part-time workers who wish to increase their working hours, reaching 541,000 people, an increase of 37,000 from the end of 2024. Van Mulligen considered this development positive for the labor market, stating: "If part-time employees work more hours, it will help alleviate the labor shortage." However, he added that this "will not be enough to solve the problem of staff shortages in vital sectors such as healthcare and construction."