The number of job vacancies available for each 100 people who are officially unemployed has now stretched to 143, national statistics agency CBS said on Wednesday.

The number of vacancies went up by 16,000 in the second quarter of the year, while the jobless total fell by 11,000 to its lowest level since 2003.

One third of employers now say the shortage of staff is increasing the pressure across their workforces, and the lack of workers is being felt across all sectors, the CBS said.

The problem is particularly acute in the cultural sector, sport and recreation, transport and logistics, hospitality, and trade.

While 23% of employers had said they expected to take on more staff in the second quarter, only 9% managed to do so. By the end of June, there were 467,000 jobs open in the Netherlands, more than double the figure two years ago.