A string of new economic figures published on Thursday are further evidence the Dutch economy may be in recovery.

The national statistics office CBS says unemployment is falling, consumer confidence has recovered slightly and companies are investing more in machinery and cars.

The CBS said the jobless total fell by 21,000 in November to 653,000, or 8.2% of the working population.

Recovery

November is the fourth month in a row in which unemployment has not gone up according to the CBS definition. The number of people in work has also stabilised, the CBS says.

Consumer confidence has risen by two points in December, taking the index to -16. ‘The mood among consumers has improved considerably over the past few months, although pessimism still prevails,’ the CBS said.

Companies are also investing more in their operations, with an increase of 4.6% reported in October. This is the first time since July 2012 that industrial investments have gone up.

The rise is largely due to investment in company cars as firms rush to beat the introduction of new rules on lease car carbon dioxide emissions, the CBS said.