The Netherlands’ seasonally adjusted unemployment rate inched up to 4.1% in February 2026 from 4.0% in January, reaching its highest level since September 2021. The number of unemployed persons rose by 1 thousand to 416 thousand, while employment increased by 6 thousand to 9.849 million. The labor force expanded slightly to 10.265 million, compared with 10.258 million a month earlier.
The gross labor force participation rate remained unchanged at 76.3%, as did the net participation rate at 73.2%. At the end of February, the number of ongoing unemployment benefits stood at about 205.5 thousand, marginally below the previous month’s level, with 22.2 thousand new claims offset by 22.4 thousand terminations. Outside the labor force, roughly 3.2 million people were neither actively seeking work nor available for employment. A year earlier, in February 2025, the unemployment rate was 3.8%.
