Dutch unemployment remains unchanged at 4% in Jan

Netherlands’ unemployment remained stable at 4 per cent in January 2026 despite a gradual rise in joblessness, according to newly released figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). The country recorded 415,000 unemployed persons during the month, with the number increasing by an average of 1,000 per month over the past three months, while the unemployment rate held steady across the previous four months.

The data showed a softening labour market backdrop as the number of people in paid employment declined by an average of 4,000 per month during the same three-month period. At the end of January, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) registered around 205,700 active unemployment benefits, reflecting continued upward momentum in benefit uptake, CBS said in a press release.

Beyond the unemployed population, approximately 3.2 million individuals were classified outside the labour force as they were not actively seeking work or immediately available. This group, comprising retirees and those unable to work due to illness or disability, expanded by an average of 6,000 per month over the past quarter.

Netherlands recorded 415,000 unemployed persons in January, keeping the jobless rate steady at 4 per cent despite a gradual rise in unemployment.
Paid employment declined slightly, while 205,700 active unemployment benefits were registered.
Seasonal factors and contract expiries contributed to higher benefit claims.
Labour market flows showed marginally more people entering unemployment than exiting.

UWV figures highlighted seasonal and structural influences on unemployment dynamics. A total of 38,700 new benefits were granted in January, while 24,400 were terminated. Compared with January 2025, the number of unemployment benefits increased by 8.6 per cent, equivalent to 16,200 additional recipients, continuing a monthly year-on-year (YoY) upward trend observed since August 2023.

Labour market flow data indicated that slightly more individuals entered unemployment than exited it. Around 148,000 unemployed people secured jobs in January, while 104,000 stopped seeking work and left the labour market. Conversely, unemployment rose as 121,000 employed persons lost their jobs and 135,000 previously inactive individuals began searching for work. As a result, 256,000 people were unemployed in January despite being in employment three months earlier.

Fibre2Fashion News Desk (SG)