Northern employment numbers reach record high

Translation by Traci White

Research carried out by Dagblad van het Noorden, Groningen-based consultancy agency E&E Advies and employment register Lisa determined that there were 18,400 new jobs creating in the north over the course of 2018. That number translates into 2.4 percent growth, which is higher than the Dutch national average of 2.2.

Regional differences

Growth in the north was the most pronounced in the province of Groningen, which added 8,800 jobs (3.2 percent). In Friesland, the number of new jobs was 7,600 (2.6 percent), but in Drenthe, the growth numbers lagged somewhat behind: the province only added 1 percent new jobs.

If you are curious to see what the job growth numbers look like in your province, check out the interactive map created by the Dagblad (click the image for the link).

Sectors

Most of the new jobs were created in the health care and professional services, each of which added around 3,000 new jobs in 2018.Percentage-wise, the sectors that experienced the most growth were construction (5.8% new jobs, roughly 2,500 positions) and the dining industry (4.5%, roughly 1,670 positions).

The only sector that experienced a decrease in the number of jobs was the financial service industry, which is attributed to increasing digitalisation: around 320 jobs (2.2 percent) were lost in the sector over the course of 2018.

Where do internationals work?

According to the Dutch Chamber of Commerce, more than 9,000 businesses in the north are owned by immigrants in the north: 2,143 in Drenthe, 4,045 in Groningen and 2,988 in Friesland. Here is a rough overview of what kind of companies have been founded in the north by internationals.

21% business services

14% retail

10% construction

10% health

7% agriculture and horticulture

6% culture, sport and recreation

6% personal service

5% IT and media

5% hospitality industry (restaurants, cafes)

4% industrial

4% wholesalers

3% logistics

1% financial institutions