The economic recovery is at last having an impact on jobs and 38,000 new positions are set to be created this year, says the state-run job centre UWV.

In 2016, there will be an increase of 54,000 jobs, the UWV says. However, the organisation adds, there is still a long way to go to recreate the 300,000 jobs lost during the crisis.

In particular employment is picking up in the business services sector, followed by consumer services, distribution and construction.

The UWV says it expects the number of people claiming unemployment benefit (ww), currently around 430,000, to drop at a rate of 20,000 a year.