Dutch job vacancies on the rise

14 September 2004

AMSTERDAM — The number of job vacancies in the Netherlands rose again in the second quarter of this year, the third consecutive quarter of positive growth, the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said on Tuesday.

Adjusted for seasonal factors, there were 121,000 job vacancies in the Netherlands in the three-month period March, May and June compared with 113,000 in the first quarter of 2004.

The CBS said in the past three quarters, job vacancies have risen on average by almost 10,000 every quarter. The strongest rise was recorded in the commercial sector.

The Netherlands slipped into a nine-month recession last year, but the Dutch economy is recovering. The Central Planning Bureau (CPB) has forecast Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth of 1.25 percent this year and recently raised its forecast for 2005 from 1.25 to 1.5 percent.

The increase in job vacancies was most notable in smaller companies. Prior to seasonal adjustment, at the end of June there were 50,000 job vacancies in companies with fewer than 10 employees. This is 11,000 more than 12 months ago.

Medium-sized companies showed an increase of 2,000 jobs compared with the same time last year. But there was a slight fall in job vacancies in larger companies, recording 3,000 fewer vacancies on 30 June compared with 12 months earlier.

The CBS said for the first time in years, the Dutch labour market has become more dynamic. It based its statement on the increase in the number of new jobs created and the number of vacancies filled.

In the second quarter of 2004, some 203,000 vacancies were created compared with 175,000 in the same period last year. And in the second quarter of this year, 188,000 vacancies were filled, 15,000 more than 12 months previously.

To indicate the tension in the labour market, the CBS uses a vacancy rate. This is recorded as the number of unfilled vacancies per thousand jobs.

At the end of June this year, there were 20 vacancies for every 1,000 jobs, 2 more than 12 months previously. The increase took place in nearly all sectors, although there was a slight fall in the trade and healthcare sectors, the CBS said.

Subject: Dutch news