Youths drop off unemployment benefits in Netherlands

The number of new unemployment benefits to young people up to the age of 27 years decreased by almost a quarter in 2017, benefits agency UWV announced. Last year a total of 61,500 young people received new unemployment benefits, compared to 80 thousand the year before, NU.nl reports.

The number of unemployment benefits to young people decreased the most in Noord-Limburg, with over a third. The Amsterdam region saw the smallest decrease, with minus 18 percent. According to UWV, this can be attributed to the fact that the Amsterdam region also saw a less significant increase in young people on unemployment in the years before 2017.

The education and business association SBB also released new data on employment opportunities for young people with a MBO diploma. According to the association, employment opportunities for people with a vocational qualification increased sharply in all regions. The regions Drechtsteden, Achterhoek, and Midden-Holland saw the biggest increases, with 44 percent, 43 percent and 39 percent respectively. The regions of Gorinchem and Flevoland saw the smallest increases, with 4 percent and 6 percent respectively.

Last week Minister Arie Slob for Primary and Secondary Education called on Dutch parents to stop pushing their kids to get into a university, pointing to the fact that the demand for people with vocational qualifications is skyrocketing.