Employers posting fewer vacancies; Dutch labor market still tight

Employers have recently started putting less effort into looking for new employees. Entrepreneurs posted fewer vacancies in April, May, and June than in previous months. But the tension in the labor market is still high, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The many unfilled vacancies have long led to staff shortages and a high workload for employees.

At the end of June, the number of unfilled vacancies stood at 427,000, according to Statistics Netherlands. That is 10,000 less than at the end of the first quarter. Of these, 354,000 vacancies were new, a decrease of 27,000 compared to the previous three months. The strongest reduction in the number of vacancies was in the hotel and catering industry, the information and communication sector, and education.

According to CBS, the tightness in the labor market has not become less as a result. The statistics office reported that there were 122 vacancies for every 100 employees, just like two quarters earlier. Unemployment also fell slightly compared to the first three months of this year, from 3.6 to 3.5 percent of the workforce. Most jobs were open in trade, business services, and healthcare. Together they accounted for half of all open vacancies.

The tightness in the labor market is no longer as high as in the first half of last year. Then there were 143 vacant jobs for every 100 unemployed. After the coronavirus crisis, the economy grew rapidly, and there was suddenly a lot more work.

CBS also reported that the number of jobs of people in paid employment grew by 11,000 to just over 9 million employee jobs last quarter. On the other hand, the group of self-employed people decreased by 4,000 people. Over 1 in 5 jobs is now self-employed, the statistics office said. Last year, more people became self-employed. Many on-call and temporary workers then started as self-employed freelancers.