Unemployment has fallen to pre-coronavirus levels
The number of unemployed has fallen to pre-coronavirus levels last month. That appears from Thursday published figures of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). In October, some 277,000 people were unemployed, or 2.9 percent of the workforce. That is the same percentage as in February 2020, just before the start of the corona crisis.
The labor participation rate increased, especially among young people. In addition, the number of unemployment benefits fell in all sectors, a temporary benefit that people recently made redundant can receive. The strongest decrease in the number of unemployment benefits can be seen in the cultural sector, the catering industry and the retail trade. Only in agriculture did the number of people on benefits increase, but according to CBS this is due to the season.
The peak of the number of unemployed during the corona crisis was in the summer of 2020. Since then, the number of people without a job has mainly decreased. The unemployment figures only look at the labor force. These are people who are working, or people who have recently applied and would be immediately available for a new job.
Also read: Record drop in unemployment, despite the corona crisis. How is that possible?
Welcome to a new blog
In this blog, the editors of NRC the most important corona news from home and abroad. On Wednesday, the number of positive corona tests in the Netherlands rose to a record high. Comedian Guido Weijers also ordered his New Year’s Eve conference and Belgium tightened up its corona policy: working from home is largely mandatory, but the Belgian nightlife remains open.
Read here the whole blog from Wednesday 17 November back
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