Unemployment in Netherlands falls to 3.8 percent in June

Unemployment in the Netherlands edged down to 3.8 percent in June from 3.9 percent in May, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported Thursday.

There were 393,000 unemployed people in June. Over the past three months, the number of unemployed fell by an average of 5,000 per month. During the same period, the number of people with paid jobs declined by an average of 6,000 per month.

In addition to the unemployed, 3.2 million people were outside the labor force because they had not recently looked for work or were not immediately available for it. These individuals are mainly retirees or those unable to work due to illness or disability. The number of people outside the labor force rose by an average of 8,000 per month over the past three months.

The number of unemployment benefits (WW) also decreased. The Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) counted 196,900 benefits at the end of June, a 1.2 percent drop from the previous month. In June, 20,600 new benefits were granted and 23,100 were terminated.

More than half of all sectors saw a decline in unemployment benefits last month. The largest decreases occurred in construction, agriculture, landscaping and fisheries, and at temporary employment agencies. These sectors typically experience drops in benefits starting in spring as seasonal work