While people in the Netherlands are working more hours, productivity has not gone up to the same extent, according to new figures from national statistics office CBS.

The number of hours worked rose 5.3% in the period 2008 to 2018, but productivity only went up 3.9%, the CBS said.

One reason for this is the rise in self employment, the CBS said. This is because freelancers are working more hours, but don’t invest as much as big companies in equipment and training to improve their working efficiency.

In addition, the impact of the IT revolution would appear to run out of steam. Between 1998 and 2008, there was a 20% rise in productivity, largely generated by computers. But in the past 10 years there has been little additional impact, the CBS said.

The agency also points to the fact that the over-55s are working more hours, but the more productive 25 to 45-year-olds are working less. This too is having an effect on productivity.