What the Numbers Show
The "second generation," meaning people born in the Netherlands to one or two immigrant parents, saw unemployment go from 5.3 percent in 2024 to 6 percent this year. Dutch people whose parents were also born in the country saw almost no change, with the rate edging up from 2.

9 percent to 3.0 percent. Across the whole country, unemployment stood at 4.

0 percent in the first three quarters.

The gap between immigrants and the national average had been shrinking until 2022. It then held steady until 2024.

Statistics Netherlands has not yet pinned down why the rise is happening almost entirely among immigrants and their children in recent quarters.

Education, Age and a Tight Job Market
Economist Peter Hein van Mulligen said education may be part of the answer. The rise was sharper among immigrants with fewer educational qualifications, who often struggle to find work and tend to hold more vulnerable jobs.

Among all people with fewer qualifications, unemployment was 3.8 percent. For immigrants it was 6.

5 percent, against 2.1 percent for Dutch people.

Age plays a part as well.

Immigrants are generally younger, and younger people are more likely to be out of work. Youth unemployment overall was 9 percent, but it reached 15.3 percent for immigrants aged 15 to 25, compared with 7 percent for Dutch people in the same age group.



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