The €230m spent so far by the government on creating jobs has helped 185,000 into work, social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher told parliament on Friday.

The €230m is part of the €600m job creation budget and was spent in a first phase between October 1 and December 31 last year.

The money went into help for sacked workers in finding a new job, extra workplace schooling for youngsters and helping those with little chance of finding a job into work. There was also extra investment in schools, Asscher said in his briefing.

Phase two of the job creation plan runs from April 1 until May 31.