In March 3.9 percent of the Netherlands' labor force were unemployed, compared to 4.1 percent in February. That is still above the unemployment level before the financial crisis in 2008, but the percentage halved since early in 2014, when unemployment peaked at 7.8 percent, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday.
Last month more than 8.7 million people between the ages of 15 and 75 years had paid work. That number increased by an average of 20 thousand per month over the past three months.
Only 11 percent of the 20 thousand asylum seekers who got refugee status in the Netherlands in 2014, had paid work in the summer of last year. A year and a half after obtaining refugee status, on 4 percent had paid work, according to figures Statistics Netherlands released on Tuesday.
Half of the refugees that came to the Netherlands in 2014 are from Syria. 10 percent of this group had paid work last summer - Statistics Netherlands' latest reference date. 6 percent of the 4 thousand Eritrean refugees had work. Most of the refugees in these two groups are still on welfare.
Last year 4 percent of Dutch young people between the ages of 15 and 25 were not working or studying - the lowest percentage of all European Union Member States, Statistics Netherlands reported on Monday.
The European average for young people that are unemployed and not studying was 12 percent in 2016. No EU figures for 2017 are available yet. According to the stats office, the percentage of unemployed young people who are also not studying in the Netherlands has been around 5 percent for years. The EU average was also pretty much stable over the past years.
Dutch girls in HAVO, VWO and MBO increasingly chose to study in a technical direction, though the increase is minimal in VMBO and higher education, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday.
The number of tourists that stayed in accommodation in the Netherlands last year increased by nearly 9 percent to 42 million. That is the strongest growth since 2006, according to figures Statistics Netherlands released on Wednesday.
Statistics Netherlands' figures do not include overnight stays in accommodations with fewer than five rooms, which means that most tourists booking accommodation through online platforms like Airbnb are not included in these figures.
Last year 77 percent of Dutch adults felt that the Netherlands should shelter asylum seekers who fled their country due to war or persecution, according to a survey by Statistics Netherlands. Half said that asylum seekers who left their countries for economic reasons should not be allowed to live or work in the Netherlands.
20 percent of Dutch people aged 12 and older had trouble sleeping in 2017, according to figures from Statistics Netherlands' Heath Survey.
In the two weeks before the survey, 20 percent of Dutch had trouble falling asleep, struggled to sleep through the night, or woke up too early. Ten percent indicated that they had serious sleep problems. 41 percent of the Dutch with sleep problems say it hampers their daily functioning, causing forgetfulness or poor concentration. Among those with serious sleep problems, 57 percent say it hampers their daily functioning.
Unemployment in the Netherlands continues to fall. In February a total of 367 thousand people were unemployed, 4.1 percent of the working population. In January it was 4.2 percent. Over the past three months, the number of unemployed people in the Netherlands fell by 10 thousand per month, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday.
The suburbs around the large cities in the Netherlands have relatively many residents with a high income, while the median income in the cities themselves are largely lower than the national average, according to figures Statistics Netherlands published on Tuesday.
The Netherlands is the second best country in Europe when it comes to workers keeping their knowledge level up to standard with courses, training, workshops and conferences. More than half of employed people between 25 and 65 follow a work-related course during his or her career, according to the Adult Education Survey conducted by Statistics Netherlands on behalf of European stats office Eurostat.
Last year the Netherlands generated 10 percent more energy from renewable sources than in the year before, Statistics Netherlands reported on Friday. Despite this increase, the Netherlands is still far from its goal to be CO2-neutral by 2050.
Housing prices in the Netherlands were 8.8 percent higher in January than in the same month last year, the highest increase in 16 years, Statistics Netherlands and the Land Registry reported on Wednesday.
The prices of existing homes in the country have been increasing steadily since June 2013. Housing prices are now at about the same level as in January 2008.
Compared to the housing market peak in June 2008, the current housing prices are still 2 percent lower. Compared to the low point on the market in June 2013, the current prices are around 25 percent higher.
In the fourth quarter of 2017 the number of jobs in the Netherlands increased by 57 thousand, the number of vacancies rose by 14 thousand and the number of unemployed people in the country decreased by 29 thousand. These are the strongest labor figures the Netherlands has seen since the financial crisis, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday based on the latest quarterly figures on the labor market.
The Dutch economy grew by 3.1 percent in 2017, the strongest growth in 10 years, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday.
In the last quarter of 2017, the economy's growth decreased somewhat, but was still strong at 2.9 percent compared to the last quarter of 2016. Compared to the third quarter of 2017, the GDP grew by 0.8 percent.
Investments and exports in particular contributed to economic growth in the fourth quarter. Household consumption decreased somewhat, but the industry grew more.
Women are slightly more likely to suffer from burnout symptoms than men, according to a study by Statistics Netherlands and TNO. Young women between the ages of 25 and 35 most often suffer psychological fatigue from work.
The cheapest homes in the Netherlands could be bought in Delfzijl last year, at an average price of 141,600 euros for a home. Bloemendaal was most expensive at 775.800 euros per home on average, over five times more expensive than in Delfzijl. The national average was 263 thousand euros per house, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday.
The average wealth of Dutch households increased by almost 10 percent in 2016, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday based on new figures. This is mainly due to increasing house prices. Dutch without their own home did not see a wealth increase in that year, according to the stats office.
Nearly three in five households owned their home in 2016. An owned home formed the largest part of household's assets at 57 percent, followed by savings. Mortgage was also the largest debt item of Dutch households that year, making up 86 percent of the average household's debt.
Over 76.2 million people traveled through the five large airports in the Netherlands last year, Statistics Netherlands announced on Wednesday. That is a significant increase compared to 2016, when 70.3 million travelers arrived or departed at Schiphol, Eindhoven Airport, Rotterdam The Hague Airport, Groningen Airport Eelde and Maastricht Aachen Airport.
Four out of the five large airports handled more passengers in each quarter of 2017 than a year earlier. Only Maastricht Aachen saw a decline.
Despite steadily decreasing since 2014, unemployment in the Netherlands is still higher than it was before the financial crisis hit in 2008, Statistics Netherlands reported on Tuesday. Unemployment among men between the ages of 25 and 45 years is currently more than three times as high as it was at the start of the crisis.
The population of the Netherlands hit 17.2 million officially registered residents at the turn of the new year, an increase of 100 thousand from a year earlier. That gain is similar to figures released at the beginning of 2017, government office Statistics Netherlands (CBS) said on Tuesday.
The airports in the Netherlands have a record summer behind them. In total 22.2 million people traveled through the Dutch airports in the third quarter, an increase of 6.8 percent compared to the summer of 2016, Statistics Netherlands reported on Wednesday.
Unemployment in the Netherlands continues to steadily decline. In November 4.4 percent of the labor force was unemployed, compared to 4.5 percent in October. That amounts to 397 thousand unemployed people, dropping below the 400 thousand mark for the first time since August 2009, Statistics Netherlands reported on Thursday.
The Dutch population will continue to grow in the coming decades to over 18.4 million people by 2060, according to the latest prognosis by Statistics Netherlands. The 18 millionth inhabitant is expected in 2031. By 2040 almost a quarter of the Dutch population will be elderly, and by 2060 just over a third will have their roots in the outside world, according to the stats office.
Couples who live together, especially those without children, are the most often prosperous and most satisfied and healthy people in the Netherlands. Older people, single people and especially single parents with young children score less well on these factors, according to Statistics Netherlands' quality of life study for 2017.
