Unemployment in the Netherlands continued to rise in July 2020, however at a slower rate than it rose in June of this year. 

Unemployment in the Netherlands

In July, a further 15.000 people in the Netherlands were left unemployed, new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) have revealed. This marks the second month in a row that Dutch unemployment rose, however, it now seems to be increasing less rapidly than in the month prior. June 2020 saw unemployment rise faster than ever before, when 74.000 people were looking for work but were unable to find employment.

There is now a total of 419.000 people in the Netherlands out of work, 146.000 more than at the start of the coronavirus crisis. This is 4,5 percent of the Dutch workforce. The level of unemployment has risen slightly above what the Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) had expected for the whole of 2020. 

Luckily though, some people have been able to find work during the crisis, as the number of employed people is increasing. According to the CBS statistics, an average of around 8.000 people per month managed to find work. The fact that unemployment continues to rise in spite of this is due to the fact that more people are entering the workforce.

Unemployment in Amsterdam 

It seems that the Dutch capital has been hit the hardest by the coronavirus crisis, as the rise of unemployment is much more striking in Amsterdam and the surrounding area than in the rest of the country. The number of people looking for jobs is increasing at a faster rate in Amsterdam than in the rest of the country. 

The Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) is currently paying out unemployment benefits to mote than 29.000 residents in the region of Amsterdam, 53 percent more than this time last year.  Nationally, the number of people getting unemployment benefits rose by 29 percent over the past year. 

The cultural sector in the capital, where unemployment has risen by 3,7 percent in July, has been hit the hardest by the crisis. Unemployment in the healthcare and welfare sectors rose by nearly two percent.