Hardly any change in unemployment in 2023; 3.6% unemployed in December

Unemployment in the Netherlands changed very little last year. In December, 3.6 percent of the working population was unemployed - equal to the average for 2023, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported on Thursday.

In the last three months of 2023, the number of unemployed people decreased slightly by an average of 3,000 per month to 361,000 in December. In the same period, an average of 25,000 people entered paid work per month.

Over the whole of 2023, the number of unemployed people rose slightly compared to a year earlier, from 350,000 to 359,000. The unemployment rate increased from 3.5 to 3.6 percent. Unemployment only decreased among people over 45, from 104,000 to 92,000 unemployed people. The biggest increase in unemployment was among young workers aged 15 to 25, from 134,000 to 149,000. Unemployment increased slightly in the 25 to 45 age group.

In December 2023, the benefits agency UWV paid out 160,800 unemployment benefits, almost the same as in November (160,200). In December, the agency terminated 19,900 thousand unemployment benefits and added 20,800 new ones.

There were no significant changes in unemployment benefits in most sectors compared to November. The construction sector saw a 15.9 percent increase in benefits, and it rose by 9.3 percent in agriculture, landscaping, and fishing. “That partly concerns the usual increase in unemployment benefits due to the loss of seasonal work,” CBS said.