Netherlands work force grew by 1.8 million people in two decades

Between 2003 and 2023, the number of people with paid work in the Netherlands grew by 1.8 million. At the same time, the number of non-working people fell by about 150,000, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported. CBS generally bases labor participation on the age group of 15 to 75 years.

The number of working people in relation to the number of non-workers has increased further. In the second quarter of this year, there were 120 people in paid work for every 100 people who were not working. Twenty years ago, that ratio was still 96 workers per 100 non-workers. The increase since 2003 is mainly due to the growth in the number of people with paid work.

In the second quarter of 2023, 9.7 million people between 15 and 75 had paid work, and 3.6 million people did not. If young people under the age of 15 and the over-75s are also counted among non-workers, the number of non-workers comes to 8.1 million people. That brings the ratio to 120 workers per 100 non-workers.

In 2007, the number of working people surpassed the number of non-working people for the first time, according to CBS. That remained the case until 2014, during the financial crisis. In that year, the working population temporarily lost the majority. But since then, more and more people have found paid work compared to people who aren’t working.

CBS also pointed out that, despite the aging population, the number of people without paid work has decreased during the past twenty years. It is true that the number of over-75s grew by over 650,000 during that period, but the number of children up to the age of 15 fell by almost 300,000. Because the number of non-working people aged 15 to 75 also fell sharply by more than 500,000, there were, on balance, about 150,000 fewer people without paid work in the second quarter of 2023 than twenty years ago.

The number of working people aged 45 to 75, in particular, increased in the past twenty years by 1.6 million. That was partly due to the growth in the number of people over the age of 45 but also due to the relatively substantial increase in labor participation in this age group. Labor participation increased sharply, especially among women. The number of working young people aged 15 to 25 also increased. However, the number of working people aged 25 to 45 decreased, mainly because fewer men in that age group are working.