The jobless total in the Netherlands fell by 20,000 to 521,000 in August, a bigger drop than in previous months. The decline in benefit claims takes the official unemployment rate in the Netherlands to 5.8%, down from its February 2014 peak of almost 8%.

Over the past six months, the number of people without work in the Netherlands fell by 60,000. All age groups benefited from the rise in employment but the improvement was biggest among the over-45s, the national statistics office CBS said.

The construction sector and farming booked the biggest drop in unemployment benefit claims. There was a rise in the number of unemployed teachers but this is a season issue due to contracts for a single academic year expiring, the CBS said.