The number of people claiming welfare benefits had risen to 413,000 by the end of last year, the national statistics office CBS said on Friday.

The 10,000 increase in claims in the final quarter of the year took the net increase in welfare (bijstand) claims to 33,000 over 2013 as a whole, the CBS said.

In 2011 and 2012, the net rise was 11,000 and 13,000 respectively.

The increase is due to the lack of job prospects, the CBS said. People who are claiming unemployment benefit move to the welfare system once they have used up all their jobless benefit entitlement – which runs to a maximum of 38 months.