Increasing daycare attendance as more Dutch mothers work

An increasing number of Dutch kids are attending daycare, according to a report by the Tax Authorities and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. This has to do with the economic recovery and higher childcare allowance, but the fact that more and more mothers go back to work also play a role, RTL Nieuws reports.

According to the report, the number of working women in the Netherlands is at its highest level since 2012. Over the past years there's been an increase in the number of working mothers with children under the age of 11. And after a decline in 2014 and 2015, single mothers are also more active on the labor market. The number of working fathers with young children remained stable.

"It's great to see that more and more mothers are working and at the same time that their children are enjoying themselves at daycare", Minister Lodewijk Asscher of Social Affairs said in a reaction.

Last year a total of 682 thousand kids attended daycare, compared to 639 thousand in 2015.