Unemployment falls again, consumer confidence rises
The Dutch unemployment rate fell to 5.7% in September, its lowest level in four years, the national statistics office CBS said on Thursday.
Half of the 40,000 people who found work over the past three months were over the age of 45 and the construction sector showed the most growth.
The number of people claiming unemployment benefit (ww) has also fallen to 424,000 the CBS said. The jobless total has fallen by 100,000 over the past year but it still 200,000 up on 2008, at the start of the financial crisis.
At the same time, consumer confidence has reached its highest level since August 2007, before the financial melt-down began. Consumers have more confidence in the economy at large and their own personal situations, the CBS said.
The consumer confidence index has been recovering steadily since it plunged to -44 in February 2013.
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