The number of people in work in the Netherlands has passed the 9 million mark for the first time, reports Dutchnews.nl citing statistics agency CBS. Employment increased by 5% since 2019 to 8.9 million by the end of February, leading to a shortage of labour in some sectors. Government and healthcare were the fastest growing sectors and now account for 2.6 million jobs altogether, a 9.5% increase in the last two years.

"Labour market participation has never been so high. Some people have two jobs," said CBS chief economist Pieter Hein van Mulligen. “We see that many companies are struggling with the shortage of personnel. And that will continue for the time being as the population continues to age.” The lack of job applicants was also attributed to bankruptcies falling to a record low level in April, when 109 companies went out of business. The government expects the number to increase in the second half of the year now that all Covid-19 pandemic support has ended.