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Labour · Europe & Central Asia · High income
Netherlands: the labour market
Labour force is 10.3m (2025), 55th of 187 in the world and 11th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Participation rate is 67.2% (2025), 43rd of 187 in the world and 4th of 49 in Europe & Central Asia. Women's participation is 62.7% (2025), 31st of 187 in the world and 3rd of 49 in Europe & Central Asia.
Labour force
Netherlands
Participation rate
NetherlandsEurope & Central AsiaHigh incomeWorld
13 indicators
Labour: Netherlands in detail
Latest reported value, world rank and rank within Europe & Central Asia; values around 2000, 2010, 2020; group and world columns are World Bank aggregates.
| Indicator | Latest | World rank | In region | ~2000 | ~2010 | ~2020 | 10-year change | Region | Income group | World | Since 2000 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour forceLabour force, total | 10.3m2025 | 55/187 | 11/49 | 8.8m | 9.1m | 9.8m | +10%since 2015 | 429m | 734m | 3.7bn | |
| Participation rateLabour force participation, % of 15+ | 67.2%2025 | 43/187 | 4/49 | 67.8% | 66.5% | 66.5% | +0.8 ppsince 2015 | 58.2% | 61.0% | 61.0% | |
| Women's participationFemale labour force participation, % of women 15+ | 62.7%2025 | 31/187 | 3/49 | 59.0% | 60.3% | 61.8% | +2.0 ppsince 2015 | 51.1% | 54.3% | 48.9% | |
| Employment rateEmployment to population ratio, 15+ (ILO) | 64.6%2025 | 39/187 | 3/49 | 66.0% | 63.2% | 64.0% | +2.7 ppsince 2015 | 55.1% | 58.3% | 58.1% | |
| UnemploymentUnemployment, % of labour force (ILO) | 3.9%2025 | 121/187 | 39/49 | 2.7% | 5.0% | 3.8% | −3.0 ppsince 2015 | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.8% | |
| Female unemploymentFemale unemployment, % of female labour force (ILO) | 4.1%2025 | 126/187 | 37/49 | 3.4% | 5.5% | 4.0% | −3.2 ppsince 2015 | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.9% | |
| Youth unemploymentYouth unemployment, ages 15–24 (ILO) | 8.8%2025 | 130/187 | 43/49 | 5.2% | 10.8% | 8.9% | −2.3 ppsince 2015 | 14.0% | 11.5% | 13.4% | |
| Youth NEET rateYouth not in education, employment or training, % | 3.9%2025 | 169/170 | 46/46 | 4.2% | 4.7% | 4.7% | −0.3 ppsince 2015 | 11.4% | 10.6% | — | |
| Wage workersWage and salaried workers, % of total employment | 83.2%2025 | 50/187 | 30/49 | 89.7% | 86.6% | 84.1% | −1.8 ppsince 2015 | 83.3% | 88.9% | 53.6% | |
| Vulnerable employmentVulnerable employment, % of total employment (ILO) | 13.4%2025 | 136/187 | 20/49 | 8.6% | 11.0% | 12.9% | +1.1 ppsince 2015 | 12.9% | 8.0% | 42.4% | |
| Jobs in agricultureEmployment in agriculture, % of total employment | 1.7%2025 | 165/187 | 44/49 | 3.3% | 2.8% | 2.1% | −0.5 ppsince 2015 | 6.7% | 2.9% | 25.8% | |
| Jobs in industryEmployment in industry, % of total employment | 13.8%2025 | 152/187 | 46/49 | 21.6% | 17.7% | 15.7% | −2.7 ppsince 2015 | 23.7% | 22.2% | 23.7% | |
| Jobs in servicesEmployment in services, % of total employment | 84.5%2025 | 7/187 | 3/49 | 75.1% | 79.5% | 82.3% | +3.2 ppsince 2015 | 69.7% | 74.9% | 50.6% |
Source: World Bank, World Development Indicators (CC BY 4.0)“·” — no value reported within two years of that date. World rank counts countries with a recent value.
Better than ten years ago
- Women's participation+2.0 pp62.7% in 2025
- Employment rate+2.7 pp64.6% in 2025
- Unemployment−3.0 pp3.9% in 2025
- Female unemployment−3.2 pp4.1% in 2025
Worse than ten years ago
- Wage workers−1.8 pp83.2% in 2025
- Vulnerable employment+1.1 pp13.4% in 2025
Only indicators where higher or lower is clearly better are rated (for example, unemployment down is better, life expectancy up is better).
neighbours
Netherlands and its neighbours
Countries sharing a land border with Netherlands. Latest values since 2005; the highest in each row is marked.
| Indicator | Netherlands | Germany | France | Venezuela | Belgium |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour force | 10.3m2025 | 43.5m2025 | 31.9m2025 | 11.1m2025 | 5.5m2025 |
| Participation rate | 67.2%2025 | 60.6%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 51.9%2025 | 54.3%2025 |
| Women's participation | 62.7%2025 | 55.3%2025 | 51.5%2025 | 37.1%2025 | 49.8%2025 |
| Employment rate | 64.6%2025 | 58.3%2025 | 51.2%2025 | 49.2%2025 | 51.1%2025 |
| Unemployment | 3.9%2025 | 3.7%2025 | 7.5%2025 | 5.3%2025 | 5.9%2025 |
| Female unemployment | 4.1%2025 | 3.4%2025 | 7.5%2025 | 5.8%2025 | 5.6%2025 |
| Youth unemployment | 8.8%2025 | 6.9%2025 | 18.9%2025 | 10.4%2025 | 17.8%2025 |
| Youth NEET rate | 3.9%2025 | 8.2%2025 | 11.0%2025 | 37.1%2020 | 7.4%2025 |
| Wage workers | 83.2%2025 | 91.9%2025 | 86.7%2025 | 59.6%2025 | 85.4%2025 |