The number of people under the age of 66 and claiming welfare benefits (bijstand) had risen by 12,000 to 433,000 at the end of March, compared with the year earlier period, national statistics agency CBS said on Monday.

The increase – 9% – was most pronounced under youngsters up to the age of 27, while the increase in claims by the over 45s was just 1%.

There was also an increase in the number of claims made by people with an ethnic minority background – either western or non-western – the CBS said.

The CBS did not suggest a reason why relatively more youngsters are claiming welfare but it may be because they are more likely to have a flexible contract. This means they may not have built up enough rights to unemployment benefits if they lost their job.

To claim WW you must have worked at least 26 out of the previous 36 weeks, but that minimum would only entitle the claimant to three months of unemployment benefit.