Despite a drop in job opportunities over the past year, the number of new companies continued to grow thanks to the self-employed, the central statistics agency CBS says.

Between 2007 and 2014, the number of one-person companies – or zzpers – grew by an average of 70%.

The number of self employed working in the services sector in the central Randstad area doubled over the seven-year period, the CBS says.

The building trade saw an average rise of 70% over the period, with the biggest rise of 84% in Zuid-Holland province, the CBS says.