2026.02.1905:53:16UTC+00Dutch Jobless Rate Steady for 5 Months

The Netherlands’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 4% in January 2026, unchanged for the fifth consecutive month and still at its highest level since September 2021. The number of unemployed increased by 5 thousand from the previous month to 415 thousand. In addition, 3.2 million people were outside the labor force, as they had not recently looked for work and/or were not immediately available. This group consists mainly of retirees and individuals unable to work due to illness or disability.

During the month, 38.7 thousand new unemployment benefits were granted, bringing the total to 205.7 thousand, while 24.4 thousand benefits were terminated. At the same time, employment inched up by 0.1 thousand to 9.843 million, and the labor force participation rate rose to a three-month high of 76.3%. Compared with a year earlier, the unemployment rate was 0.2 percentage points higher than the 3.8% recorded in January 2025.