This hasn’t been the case for 50 years.
Amsterdam is waking up after its long slumber under Covid-19 restrictions, but today’s Amsterdam looks different to that which we knew before the pandemic. You may have already noticed an abundance of signs hanging in shop fronts, or in restaurant windows looking to fill job vacancies, and this is the case across the Netherlands right now.
At the moment, there are 106 vacancies for every 100 unemployed persons, and this is referred to in economic terms as a ‘tight labour market’. In fact, NOS reports: ‘There have also never been so many unfilled vacancies in the Netherlands in absolute numbers: in the second quarter there were more than 300,000 vacancies.’
This trend began to emerge at the beginning of 2021, with vacancies rising steadily but sharply, from around 50 vacancies per 100 unemployed persons to the figure we see today. Certain industries have been impacted more than others, with vacancies in hospitality having doubled in the second quarter of 2021.
Of course, the pandemic caused a huge shift in the labour market as hospitality venues closed, or were forced to operate shorter opening hours with capacity limits. Some people who once worked in the hospitality industry have moved into different sectors during the pandemic and have not returned to hospitality since. Plus, plenty of workers have returned to their home countries during the pandemic and more people have opted to become self-employed, so there are plenty of factors at play here. As the situation in the country continues to change day to day, you can read the official statistics on the CBS website.