At the end of 2019 a total of 413 thousand people in the Netherlands were receiving welfare benefits, a decrease of 19 thousand compared to the year before. The number of welfare recipients decreased regardless of migration background, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday.
Between 2009 and 2016, the number of people living on social assistance increased annually, by a total of 160 thousand in that period. Since 2017, that number has been decreasing again, in total by 51 thousand.
A number of Dutch municipalities are looking into limiting the number of migrant workers who can work and live in their city or town. At least three municipalities have already established a maximum limit, and six others are considering the same, NOS reports based on a survey among aldermen responsible for integration. A total of 140 municipalities responded to the broadcaster's questions.
Maasdriel, Deurne, and Zaltbommel told NOS that they already set a limit on the maximum number of labor migrants in their municipality.
Vocational high school graduates with an ethnic minority background are still struggling more to find work than their counterparts with a Dutch-background, according to a study by SEO Economic Research. One year after graduation, students with an ethnic minority background are 20 percent less likely to have a job. In addition to factors like study choice and family situation, the researchers believe that discrimination plays a role NOS reports.
The Netherlands is at risk of losing its high level of prosperity if the labor market does not change quickly and drastically, is the conclusion of a committee led by Hans Borstlap that investigated the state of the labor market on behalf of the Dutch government. Employers must offer permanent contracts much more often, the number of flex-workers and self-employed must be reduced, and more must be invested in knowledge and innovation, the committee concluded, NOS reports. Trade union FNV largely agrees with the conclusions.
Employers want to solve the staff shortages in many sectors in the Netherlands by making part-time workers work more hours, according to a memorandum from employers' associations AWVN, MKB-Nederland, and VNO-NCW, the Telegraaf reports.
The position of people with disabilities in the Netherlands is deteriorating. Over the past three years, it has become more difficult for people with disabilities to fully participate in society, according to a report commissioned by the UN Convention Alliance, a collaboration of five organizations that advocate for people with disabilities, which will be handed to the United Nations Human Rights Committee in Geneva on Tuesday, Trouw reports.
The aging population of the Netherlands will result in the average growth of the Dutch economy falling to 1.1 percent between 2022 and 2025, central planning office CPB said in an estimate on Monday.
In the period 2022 to 2025, the population aged between 15 and 74 will decrease for the first time, the CPB expects. That will mean fewer and fewer new people entering the labor market, which will put economic growth under pressure. Purchasing power will also stop increasing in that period, according to the CPB.
The number of young doctors in the Netherlands struggling with burnout symptoms increased significantly over the past two years, according to a quickscan study by care providers' organization VvAA. Currently 20 percent of doctors under the age of 35 have burnout symptoms, compared to 13 percent two years ago, the Volkskrant reports.
At 20 percent with burnout symptoms, young doctors score far worse than the national average of 15 percent and their older colleagues at 11 percent.
The number of unemployed people in the Netherlands increased in the third quarter, compared to the previous quarter, for the first time in 5.5 years, according to Statistics Netherlands. In the third quarter there were 319 thousand unemployed people, 14 thousand more than in the second quarter. The unemployment rate rose from 3.3 percent to 3.4 percent.
Women are approached much less often by recruiters looking for staff than men, even with the tightness on the labor market and staff shortages in multiple sectors. The same holds true for sectors in which many women work, such as healthcare, Financieele Dagblad reports based on a study it commissioned from Intelligence Group.
The Dutch government is stepping up the fight against discrimination in the employee recruitment process. Employers and employment agencies caught discriminating while looking for staff will now be fined up to 4,500 euros per case. Their misconduct will also be made public, State Secretary Tamara van Ark of Social Affairs and Employment announced in a bill on Wednesday, the Volkskrant report.
The Netherlands surpassed Switzerland and Germany as the most competitive economy in Europe. Worldwide, the Netherlands is in fourth place, after Singapore, the United States and Hong Kong, according to a comparison by the World Economic Forum (WEF).
According to the WEF researchers, "an entrepreneurial culture, flat organizations and growth of innovative companies" have made the Dutch economy much more agile.
At 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday the Rutte III government will present its budget for next year. But as every year, a number of the government's plans already leaked to the press. Here follows a summary of what we know so far, compiled by NOS and RTL Nieuws.
The D66 wants to introduce a temporary quota for women in top positions at listed companies. According to parliamentarian Vera Bergkamp, the current rules for getting more women in top jobs are insufficient and a quota is needed for equal opportunities on the labor market, NOS reports.
Six years ago the largest companies in the Netherlands got the goal of having 30 percent women in leadership positions by 1 January 2020. The majority of the companies are not yet close to this goal.
A decade after the biggest economic crisis since the 1930s hit the Netherlands, most Dutch have recovered and are satisfied with their lives. But that does not apply to a group of around 400 thousand people who are still struggling, social and cultural planning office SCP said in its report The social state of the Netherlands. The SCP looked at the state of the Netherlands in the period 2008 to 2018, NOS reports.
The tightness on the Dutch labor market is now also visible in jobs with no or low starting qualifications, according to a study by benefits agency UWV. Twenty professions in this category are now struggling to fill vacancies. This includes jobs like traffic controllers, cleaning staff, and work on the assembly line, NOS reports.
Dutch young people between the ages of 18 and 35 years are struggling more and more to become independent, according to a report by social and economic council SER, the main advisory body to the Dutch government and parliament. Millennials are reaching milestones like buying a house, starting a family and building up a pension later in life than previous generations, the SER said, Niewsuur reports.
Giving work permits to the foreign partners of people who found startups in the Netherlands is one of a package of measures the Dutch government announced to promote the startup and scale-up eco system in the country. Over the next four years, an extra 65 million euros will be invested in the Dutch startup and scale-up policy, State Secretary Mona Keijzer of Economic Affairs and Climate announced.
Refugees in the Netherlands are still struggling to find work. Only a quarter of asylum seekers who came to the Netherlands in 2014 now have a job, according to a new report by social-economic council SER. Business incubator Refugees Forward is trying to help by giving refugees the training they need to launch their own successful businesses.
The tension on the Dutch labor market reached a new peak in the first quarter of this year. The number of vacancies increased, while the number of unemployed declined, Statistics Netherlands reports. In the first quarter there were on average 88 vacancies per 100 unemployed, compared to 80 vacancies in the fourth quarter of last year.
The Dutch economy, measured by gross domestic product, grew by 2.7 percent last year. That is somewhat less growth than in 2017, when the highest economic growth since the financial crisis was achieved, Statistics Netherlands reported on Monday.
As in previous years, the economic growth in 2018 was largely due to increased employment. Household consumption contributed most to the economic growth last year. Investments in fixed assets also made a larger contribution. In previous years, foreign trade was the driving force behind the economic growth.
Job applicants are regularly discriminated against, according to a study among human resources departments on behalf of temporary employment agency Unique. Discrimination based on age and ethnicity are among the most common, RTL Nieuws reports.
As the Dutch economy continues to improve, more permanent jobs will be offered in the Netherlands and contract wages at companies will continue to rise, according to Dutch central bank De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), NU.nl reports.
The number of permanent jobs is already increasing, said Job Swank, director of financial stability at DNB. This year, contract wages are expected to rise by 2.1 percent, after they already rose 1.5 percent in 2018. For 2019 and 2020 the bank expects wage increases of 2.6 and 3 percent respectively.
Economic growth in the Netherlands dropped considerably in the third quarter. Compared to the second quarter, the economy grew by only 0.2 percent between start July and end September - the lowest quarterly growth in the past two years, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday.
