The number of people claiming social security benefits appeared to have stabilised at around 1.2 million by the end of 2011, according to the national statistics office CBS.

In December 2008, just under one million people were claiming unemployment or incapacity benefits or welfare, the CBS said. By December 2011, this had risen to over 1.2 million, a rise of 22% in three years.
However, the increase was marginal over the last few months of 2011, indicating the total may be stabilising despite the rise in unemployment, the CBS said.
A spokesman for the social affairs ministry told website nu.nl some forms of benefits are more easily influenced by government policy than others. For example, changes in incapacity benefit regulations had resulted in a drop in claims, he said.
The introduction of a four-week waiting period for welfare (bijstand) claims by youngsters has also had an effect on the total.