Youth unemployment at its lowest since start of pandemic

In the past three months, the unemployment rate in the Netherlands has been steadily going down, especially among people aged 15 to 25, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. Youth unemployment was at its lowest in July since the start of the coronavirus crisis in March 2020.

Unemployment spiked when the coronavirus crisis began in March 2020, but since November 2020 more and more people have found a job.

Around 289 thousand people in total were unemployed in July 2021 which amounts to 3.1 percent of the entire workforce. In the three months prior, around 30 thousand people managed to find a job.

Among young people, unemployment rates were still slightly higher than in other age groups in July at 7.3 percent, yet already considerably lower than at their peak in August 2020 at 11.3 percent.

For 25- to 45-year-old the unemployment rate was at 2.6 percent in July. Among those older than 45, the unemployment rate was at 2 percent. These are similar percentages compared to prior the coronavirus crisis at 2.7 and 1.9 percent respectively.

Several opportunities opened in the hospitality sector once coronavirus measures were relaxed. Especially the number of people on unemployment benefits in the hospitality sector sunk by 16.1 percent in July 2021. Part of the growth was attributed to temporary work contracts during the summer in the hospitality sector.