It could be worse, Noord-Holland’s economy shrunk by seven percent
Translated by Thomas Ansell
As reported by the Omrop Fryslân, the effect of the Coronavirus on the Dutch economy is clear to see with the country having a three percent smaller than in 2019. However, naturally, there are regional differences within the Netherlands: in Friesland the economy shrunk by three percent, whilst in Groninen (due to less gas extraction) it shrunk by five percent. Noord-Holland, on the other hand, saw its economy contract by seven percent due in part to Schiphol being silent for much of 2020.
Flevoland, the grey Province that used to be the sea, saw its economy shrink by only two percent.
Within Friesland the North-East of the Province seems to have been hit hardest by the various Coronavirus shutdowns and lockdowns. The rest of the Province saw shrinkage of around three percent, with Friesland’s businesses hit hardest by the closure of hotels, restaurants, and bars; as well as fewer holidaymakers, and the shutdown of the cultural sector.
Following the CBS’s figures, the Frisian economy took the heaviest beating in the second quarter of last year, with some parts of the Province seeing a ten percent decline in economic output. By the end of 2020, this had alleviated somewhat to only two percent shrinkage.
