More and more people who were not looking for or wanted paid work in the past are now entering the job market. According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), the group that is not part of the working population is dwindling. Especially elderly people, over 45, work more often.

Twenty years ago, more than thirty percent of all people between the ages of 15 and 75 were unpaid and therefore out of the labor market. In 2022, it will only be this quarter, out of a total of 3.3 million people. This is the lowest number measured by Statistics Netherlands in an analysis of the labor market over the past 20 years.

Especially in the economically good years 2007 and 2008, more and more people went to work. During and after the economic crisis, the rate of the unemployed fluctuated around 27 percent for a long time, before declining again until the Corona crisis. In 2022, many people have entered the labor market and the percentage has rapidly decreased to 25%.

The elderly in particular, the 45-75 age group, also seem to be working more and also staying longer at work. Usually these women are more than men. In 2003, 59 percent of older women were not looking for work, and in 2022 this will drop to 43 percent. In men that age, the percentage dropped from 40 to 32 percent.

The decline in the proportion of non-working seniors is due not only to the economic cycle, with lots of work and little unemployment, but also to the abolition of early retirement and other early retirement systems. An increase in the state retirement age also plays a role. As a result, 65- and 66-year-olds are working more than before.