Netherlands: Migrant Unemployment Rises to 6.9%, Youth Rate About Double the Dutch-Origin Rate
Unemployment among people born abroad in the Netherlands rose from 5.8 percent in 2024 to 6.9 percent in the first three quarters of 2026, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS) figures published on November 11 in the Report on Integration and Society 2026. The rate for the second generation rose from 5.3 to 6.0 percent, while for people of Dutch origin it edged up from 2.9 to 3.0 percent, widening the gaps between the groups.
The youth gap is starker. Among 15-to-24-year-olds, unemployment for first-generation migrants rose from 12.9 percent in 2024 to 14.8 percent in 2025 and continued rising in 2026; for the second generation it went from 11.6 to 12.1 percent. For Dutch-origin youth it fell from 7.2 to 6.9 percent before a slight rise in 2026 — making the migrant youth rate roughly double the Dutch-origin rate.
CBS noted that although the labour market remains tight overall, the obstacles migrants face in finding work have not eased, with educational background and language proficiency among the main factors.
(Source: Statistics Netherlands)
Source: Statistics Netherlands (CBS
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 阿姆斯特丹运河两岸街景资料图（Basile Morin 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0，经 Wikimedia Commons，本站裁切）。File photo of canal houses in Amsterdam (by Basile Morin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped).
