Welfare claims top 400,000 and more pensioners carry on working

The number of people in the Netherlands claiming welfare benefits (bijstand) reached 400,000 by the end of June as 21,000 people joined the ranks of the long-term unemployed.

In 2012 as a whole there were 12,000 new claims. Welfare benefits are paid to people with few assets and kick in after people have used up their entitlement to unemployment benefit (ww). Some 39,000 of welfare benefit claimants are under the age of 27, the CBS said.

More pensioners carry on working
The number of people over the age of 65 still working has more than doubled over the past 10 years, new figures from the national statistics office CBS show.
In 2003, 73,000 people past retirement age still had a job, but that had gone up to 182,000 at the beginning of this year, Trouw said on Friday, quoting CBS figures. The over 65s now account for 2.4% of the working population.

The CBS says the increasing economic uncertainty has boosted the number of older workers, but also points to a sharp increase in the number of staffing agencies specialising in the over 65s. There are now 93 employment agencies in this market.
In addition, some pensioners take advantage of the financial stability offered by the state and other pensions to start their own company, Trouw reported.

The government is in the process of increasing the state retirement age from 65 to 67.