More Unemployed Than Job Openings in the Netherlands for the First Time Since 2021
Work in NL | New Stardom
Trends Reporting
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For the first time in four years, the number of unemployed people in the Netherlands has surpassed the number of open vacancies, signalling a sharp shift in the country’s labor market. Official figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) for the third quarter of 2025 show 399,000 unemployed individuals compared to 387,000 open vacancies. The ratio of vacancies per 100 unemployed, a key measure of labor market tension, dropped to 97, well below the level seen throughout the post-pandemic recovery.
Figure 1. Labor market development in the Netherlands, Q3 2025 (seasonally adjusted, change compared to previous quarter)
Bar chart showing quarterly changes in the number of unemployed people, job vacancies, and jobs in the Netherlands from 2021 to Q3 2025. In Q3 2025, unemployment increased (+13,000), vacancies decreased (–2,000), and total jobs decreased (–7,000), marking the first quarter in four years with more unemployed than open vacancies. Source: CBS 2025 (cbs.nl).
Unemployment rose by 13,000 from the previous quarter, while the number of open vacancies fell by 2,000. Overall job numbers also declined, with the total number of jobs decreasing by 7,000, reflecting the broad slowdown. The vacancy rate, vacancies per thousand employee jobs, slipped from 44 to 42, its lowest point in years. Construction remains the sector with the highest vacancy rate (79), while education continues to have the lowest (16).
Despite the overall decline, trade (71,600 vacancies), healthcare (67,700), and business services (64,500) still account for more than half of all open positions. In contrast, financial services saw the steepest drop, with vacancies falling to 8,300, down 1,500 in a single quarter.
CBS data also highlights a record level of underemployment. The number of part-time workers wanting more hours reached 541,000 in Q3 2025, up from 504,000 at the end of 2024. Long-term unemployment increased as well, rising from 59,000 to 63,000.
Labor market flows reveal that, for this quarter, more people entered unemployment from inactivity than left unemployment for work. Net inflow from the non-labor force to unemployment was 39,000, while only 26,000 unemployed people found work, a reversal of recent trends.
The latest figures confirm that the Dutch labor market, which until recently was marked by persistent staff shortages, has entered a new phase. The combination of rising unemployment, falling vacancies, and increased underemployment raises questions about how the market will adjust in the months ahead.
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