Eindhoven’s economy grew faster than those in the four largest Dutch cities – Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht – in 2016.

The national statistics service CBS found that industry contributed heavily to Eindhoven’s growth which it put at 3.6% of GDP. Gross value-added exceeded €13bn for the first time, a  3.5% increase over 2015.

The industry and energy sector scored an 8.2% gain, well above the national average of 2.7%, the CBS said in its Urban Data Center Eindhoven study. Eindhoven is home to a relatively large number of high-tech firms.

The strong growth in Eindhoven is mirrored by the decline in the jobless rate, which fell to 6.8% in 2016 from 8.1% the previous year. There were 113,000 people in employment at the end of 2016, 3,000 more than a year earlier. The number of people out of work fell to 8,000 from 10,000 at end-2015.