Employed labor force in the Netherlands 2003-2023

In September 2023, the employed labor force in the Netherlands amounted to roughly 9.72 million individuals. This was an increase in comparison to the same month in the previous year. Of the employed population, roughly 4.3 million were female and the remainder were male.

 Employed population in the Benelux 

  The Netherlands’ employed population was significantly higher than that of Belgium and Luxembourg combined. The employed population in the entire Benelux amounted to roughly 13.2 million, of which the majority, about 8.7 million, were employed in the Netherlands. By comparison, Belgium’s employed population was roughly 4.2 million, and Luxembourg employed approximately 290 thousand people.

Lowest unemployment rate in the Benelux

  In 2020, unemployment in the Netherlands was just under four percent. According to a recent forecast, unemployment is expected to increase in the next few years, reaching 4.4 percent in 2022. Of the three Benelux countries, the Netherlands had the lowest unemployment rate. Unemployment in Luxembourg was 6.8 percent in 2020, and in neighboring country Belgium, it stood at 5.6 percent that year. It is forecast that the unemployment rate in Belgium will increase in the near future. A similar trend is expected for Luxembourg’s unemployment rate, which is forecast to reach 6.1 percent in 2021.