Worrisome Unemployment Increase

Minister Lodewijk Asscher of Social Affairs is worried about how fast unemployment in the Netherlands is increasing. Chairman of political party D66 Alexander Pechtold believes that the Netherlands is following Greece, Slovenia, Italy and Portugal. “It’s a category we shouldn’t feel comfortable in.” Unemployment is rising faster every month. With a percentage of 8.1 or 643,000 people, the numbers are higher than ever. According to RTL.nl, 30,000 people lost their job last month. The increase in the last three months is the highest in the age category of 25 to 45. Asscher predicts that unemployment will be high for a long time. “First the export will rise. That’s what’s happening now. Then investments will increase and employment will follow. With the new social agreement, the country has the resources to get on top of it, and 2014 promises growth.” The government budgeted 600 million euro to fight unemployment. Retraining or extra education and guidance in finding jobs are on their agenda.