Dutch Unemployment Remains at 4% as Job Market Slowly Cools
The Dutch labour market remains relatively strong, but there are signs that finding work may be becoming slightly more difficult.
According to the latest figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 408,000 people were unemployed in August 2026. The unemployment rate remained at 4%, the same as in July.
The number of unemployed people has nevertheless been gradually increasing. Over the three months leading up to August, unemployment increased by an average of around 3,000 people per month.
At the same time, the number of people in paid employment remained almost unchanged.
Is This Bad News for Job Seekers?
Not necessarily.
A 4% unemployment rate still means that the Netherlands has a relatively active labour market. Many employers continue to have difficulty finding suitable employees, particularly for certain skilled and specialist positions.
However, the situation is different from a few years ago, when labour shortages were extremely severe and companies were competing heavily for workers.
The balance between employers and job seekers is slowly changing.
This can mean more competition for certain vacancies, particularly entry-level office positions and jobs that attract large numbers of applicants.
There Are Still Staff Shortages
The important thing is that the Dutch labour market is not the same across every profession.
Some sectors can have many candidates while another sector struggles to find anyone with the required qualifications.
The Dutch central bank has noted that the labour market remains tight even as the balance between supply and demand gradually improves. At the beginning of 2026, there were still around 91 vacancies for every 100 unemployed people.
For job seekers, this means choosing where you look can be just as important as how many applications you send.
Research the demand for your profession, consider different regions and don't automatically limit yourself to the largest cities.
Source: Statistics Netherlands (CBS), September 2026.