Dutch unemployment stable at 4.9 percent

In September 4.9 percent of the Dutch labor force were unemployed, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands and benefits agency UWV. This figure is the same as in August of this year, but lower than the 5.7 percent unemployment rate of September 2016.

The unemployment rate only includes unemployed people who want work and are available to start immediately. It does not include people who want to work, but aren't immediately available, or people with part time work who want to work more.

The number of people between the ages of 15 and 75 years with paid work increased by an average of 21 thousand a month over the past three months. In September, over 8.6 million people in this age group had paid work. And almost 4.3 million people did not have paid work for various reasons.

The number of unemployment benefits decreased by over 11 thousand to 351 thousand in September. The biggest decreases were in the construction industry and among drivers. Between January and September, the UWV paid 301 thousand new benefits, a decrease of 20 percent compared to the same period last year.