Young people on welfare often have complex mental health problems
The number of young people receiving social assistance has been growing for three years. The time they spend on welfare is also increasing. In the past, this group mainly had difficulty finding work. Now, these young adults struggle with complex mental health issues, debt, and the housing shortage, and cannot receive prompt help, NU.nl reported from a study by Frauke van Iperen.
Van Iperen works for Divosa, the association for the social domain of the Dutch municipalities. “Previously, young people on social assistance had difficulty finding work. Now municipalities are seeing that they are not yet capable of working,” Van Iperen told the newspaper.
At the end of 2025, 42,000 people aged 18 to 27 were receiving social assistance, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). That number increased by 3.7 percent compared to a year earlier. In the total population, the number of people receiving welfare benefits grew by 1.1 percent. Young people are also receiving benefits for longer, an average of 25 months in 2024, compared to 21 months in 2019.
This doesn’t involve young adults with full occupational disabilities. They receive assistance through the Wajong Act, which regulates work and income according to ability. The young people on social assistance benefits are capable of working, on paper at least, and municipalities are responsible for providing assistance in finding work.
But according to Van Iperen, municipalities do not have the capacity or resources to support everyone on social assistance. Mental healthcare services in the Netherlands are also struggling with massive waiting lists. Leaving many of these young people stuck at home with no support.
Van Iperen has heard heartbreaking cases of young people who can’t leave their homes because of complex mental health problems. The housing shortage isn’t helping matters. Many young people are stuck living on their parents’ couches, or don’t have anywhere permanent to stay. “Without a stable living situation, it’s harder to work,” Van Iperen said.
Since this year, schools in the Netherlands have been responsible for early school leavers under the From School to Sustainable Work Act. Among other things, schools must notify the municipality about dropouts to prevent a young person from disappearing from the radar.
Van Iperen expects that this will result in an increase in the number of young people on welfare, because the municipality is aware of them and can make sure they find their way to help.
