The number of people receiving unemployment benefits in the north continues to decline, yet companies are having a hard time finding qualified staff to fill open vacancies.
Unemployment benefit recipient numbers have been going down significantly for months, and the most recent numbers are no different: there were 27.5 percent fewer unemployment claims in June 0f 2018 than 2017. Groningen’s numbers are down by 27.2 percent, and Friesland had 26.1 percent fewer claims than a year ago.
But one by-product of a strengthening economy is that there are plenty of jobs being created, but finding qualified professionals to fill them remains a challenge. Industrial jobs and the IT sector in particular have had many unfilled vacancies for years, but this trend is now becoming apparent in other professional realms.
Specialists like crane operators, opticians and customer service representatives are in high demand, as are care givers and chefs. The Groninger Internet Courant reports that Employment Insurance Agency UWV cites De Drie Gezusters in Groningen as a striking example: the interconnected cafes on the Grote Markt currently have 60 job openings.
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