There was a 68,000 rise in the number of companies in the Netherlands last year, but 63,000 of the increase was down to one-person operations, according to new figures from national statistics agency.

Today, 78% of the 1.9 million Dutch firms now have just one employee, compared with 69% in 2011, the CBS said. There are now over 1.5 million one-person operated firms on the Dutch corporate landscape, 350,000 firms with two to 10 workers and just 3,300 with a workforce of more than 250.

In percentage terms, the biggest increase in new companies last year was down to education – where the number of companies offering educational support rose 9%. The number of operations focusing on the construction sector and healthcare also rose 6%. By far the majority of firms operating in these three sectors have just one employee and these accounted for most of the increase.

In absolute terms, the biggest increases were recorded in the construction and trade sectors, with a 24% rise in the number of online retailers. Again, one person operations accounted for most of the rise.