More new entrepreneurs in the Netherlands, especially outside the Randstad

The number of entrepreneurs starting up in the Netherlands increased further in the second quarter of 2023 compared to a year earlier. In addition, there is more growth in the number of start-ups outside the Randstad area, according to a report on recent trends published by the Dutch Chamber of Commerce (KVK) on Thursday. Figures related to bankruptcies and exiting business owners remained lower than expected.

While growth is stabilizing in the region around the Randstad, it is accelerating in the provinces beyond. Groningen, Drenthe, Zeeland and Limburg showed the strongest increase in start-up companies. Compared to the same period last year, the number of residents starting a business is rising faster there than in other provinces. There is a strong increase in the retail trade and construction in particular, while there is a further decrease in construction nationwide.

The strongest increase is in the number of starting entrepreneurs per 10,000 inhabitants in the province of Groningen. The growth there amounted to 18 percent, with a surprising rise in the number of hospitality businesses that were established, when this is decreasing nationally.

In Zeeland, the number of entrepreneurs increased by 14 percent, mainly due to growth in the wholesale and retail trade. The hospitality industry is not popular with entrepreneurs in this province. The number of starting business owners in this sector fell faster than the national rate. In Limburg, the growth in the number of starters is broadly supported. In this province, there was an increase in twelve of the fifteen sectors.

The KVK also noted that the number of business owners calling it quits has been decreasing. The expected large increase in the number of bankruptcies after the coronavirus pandemic has once again failed to materialize.

“We are cautiously catching up, but the number of bankruptcies is not yet at the pre-coronavirus level, and in a historical perspective, the number is still low. We are not yet dealing with a disturbing number of bankruptcies at the moment,” said Joris Knoben, professor of Strategy and Entrepreneurship at Tilburg University.