The Netherlands’ unemployment rate eased for a second straight month in March to its lowest level in two years, figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics showed Thursday.
The seasonally adjusted jobless rate dropped to 7 percent from 7.1 percent in February, in line with economists’ expectations. In December and January, it was 7.2 percent.
The latest jobless rate was the lowest since March 2013, when it was 6.9 percent. The figure rose since then and peaked at 7.9 percent in February last year.
The number of unemployed fell to 626,000 from 633,000 in the previous month. The level was the lowest since April 2013, when there were 625,000 unemployed. A year ago, the jobless figure was 692,000.
Employment was 8.23 million people in March, largely unchanged from February. In the same month last year, there 8.16 million employed.
The unemployment rate among young people declined in the last three months, from 11.8 to 10.8 percent, the agency said. The number of those in the 15-25 age group claiming jobless benefits also eased.
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