The Dutch economy grew by 1.9 percent in the third quarter of this year compared to three months earlier. As a result, the economy is larger than before the corona pandemic for the first time. This is evident from figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The growth is stronger than economists had previously expected and was mainly driven by household spending, which spent 5 percent more in the third quarter than in the third quarter of last year.
According to CBS economist Peter Hein van Mulligen, the growth is visible in “almost all industries”. Private individuals spent more on recreation, culture, catering and clothing, among other things. In addition, more was invested in homes and machines in the third quarter. Fewer passenger cars were purchased, however. The government also spent more in the third quarter, including on the vaccination campaign and corona tests.
In the third quarter of this year, the Netherlands had 294,000 unemployed, which is 13,000 fewer than in the previous quarter. At the end of September, there were still 371,000 vacancies, an increase of 45,000 compared to the second quarter. The increase in the number of vacancies in combination with falling unemployment results in a very tight labor market: according to Statistics Netherlands, there are 126 vacancies for every 100 unemployed.
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