The Dutch official unemployment rate has fallen to 2.9%, back at its pre-coronavirus level, national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday.

The jobless total has fallen by some 4,000 a month for the past three months, taking the total to 277,000, the CBS said.

The Netherlands uses the definition of unemployment as used by the  International Labour Organisation which includes people who are not in paid work but who have recently been looking for a job and can start immediately.

The figure rose to 4.6% by August 2020, but has been falling since then.

Almost 200,000 people are currently claiming unemployment benefits, down nearly 9,000 on September’s figure. In particular, fewer claims are being made by people working in the cultural sector, hospitality and retail.

The CBS said earlier this month that for every 100 jobless people there are now an unprecedented 126 vacancies. The number of unfilled positions rose to 371,000 at the end of September, 45,000 more than the preceding quarter.