High level of employment

Average unemployment (2004-2008) as a percentage of the working population
Source: Here’s Holland compared, 2009

The rate of unemployment in the Netherlands, even during the recent economic downturn, is one of the lowest in Europe. From 2004 to 2008, an average of approximately 4% of the potential working population was unemployed, while the corresponding rate in the euro countries as a whole was more than 8.0%. The economic crisis has led to an increase in unemployment in the Netherlands to 4.8% in June 2009, but this is still far below the average in neighboring countries.