Employment in the Benelux - Statistics & Facts
In 2021, the Netherlands counted almost nine million employed citizens, compared to 4.8 million in Belgium, and around 300,000 in Luxembourg. This is not all too surprising given the respective size and population of each of the countries, as the Netherlands is by far the most populated country of the Benelux. A measure more accurate for comparisons between countries is the employment rate, which shows the ratio between a country's employed population and the working age population, often between the ages of 15 and 64 years.
In the Netherlands, over 80 percent of the working age population was employed, compared to 69 percent in Luxembourg, and 65.3 percent in Belgium. The employment rate for women was also highest in the Netherlands with 77.5 percent. The employment share of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was quite similar among the three nations, as around two-thirds of the employed population of each country worked in a small or medium-sized enterprise.
Very strong regional differences in unemployment exist in Belgium, however, as unemployment rate ranged between 3.9 percent in the Flemish region and 12.5 percent in the Brussels-capital region. Belgium not only experienced the highest unemployment rate, but also the highest youth unemployment rate, as almost 20 percent of youth in the labor force aged 15 to 24 years old were unemployed. In comparison, Luxembourg experienced a youth unemployment rate of 15 percent, while this stood at under 10 percent for the Netherlands.
In Belgium, 4.5 percent of the active population had a second job, equal to around 217,000 residents of Belgium. There were significant differences between the sectors, however, as around 17 percent of employees in the human health and social work activities sector had a second job. Furthermore, 14 percent of people working in education had a second job, while on the other hand, around zero percent of employees in the transport sector had a second job.
In the Netherlands, over 80 percent of the working age population was employed, compared to 69 percent in Luxembourg, and 65.3 percent in Belgium. The employment rate for women was also highest in the Netherlands with 77.5 percent. The employment share of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) was quite similar among the three nations, as around two-thirds of the employed population of each country worked in a small or medium-sized enterprise.
Unemployment
Calculating the unemployment rate for a country is not quite the same as calculating the employment rate. To calculate the unemployment rate, one divides the unemployed group (only those willing and able to work) by the total labor force, which is the unemployed and employed populations added together. Unemployment rate was the highest in Belgium with 6.3 percent in 2021. By comparison, Luxembourg experienced an unemployment rate of 5.3 percent, while in the Netherlands only 4.2 percent of the labor force was unemployed. For Belgium, this was comparable to the average unemployment rate of the European Union, whilst the Netherlands and Luxembourg experienced significantly lower unemployment rates.Very strong regional differences in unemployment exist in Belgium, however, as unemployment rate ranged between 3.9 percent in the Flemish region and 12.5 percent in the Brussels-capital region. Belgium not only experienced the highest unemployment rate, but also the highest youth unemployment rate, as almost 20 percent of youth in the labor force aged 15 to 24 years old were unemployed. In comparison, Luxembourg experienced a youth unemployment rate of 15 percent, while this stood at under 10 percent for the Netherlands.
Multiple jobs
Perhaps exacerbated by the ongoing cost of living crisis, many residents in the Benelux resorted to taking on a second job. In 2022, around 500,000 Dutch households were already struggling financially to pay bills, and one-sixth of Dutch respondents were financially vulnerable or unhealthy. In 2021, around one-eighth of respondents in the Netherlands had more than one job to make ends meet, while a further 26 percent had more than one job to make money for extras or security of income.In Belgium, 4.5 percent of the active population had a second job, equal to around 217,000 residents of Belgium. There were significant differences between the sectors, however, as around 17 percent of employees in the human health and social work activities sector had a second job. Furthermore, 14 percent of people working in education had a second job, while on the other hand, around zero percent of employees in the transport sector had a second job.
