The Dutch economy grew by just 0.1% in the first quarter of 2025, compared with the final three months of 2024, according to preliminary figures published by statistics agency CBS on Tuesday.

Government spending was the main driver of the modest growth, with increased investment in healthcare and a rise in the number of civil servants helping to support economic activity.

It marks the fourth consecutive quarter in which economic growth has slowed. Consumer spending fell in the first months of the year, with households cutting back on essentials such as food. Businesses also scaled down their investments, purchasing fewer delivery vans, while exports declined, the CBS said.

The figures are an early estimate and a second calculation, based on more detailed data, will be published in late June.

The CBS also said the number of job vacancies had fallen by 7,000 in the past three months while 16,000 more people joined the ranks of the unemployed.

Most of the drop in vacancies occurred in the industrial and retail sectors.

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The total number of jobs also declined slightly, ending a streak of more than four years of continuous job growth. The decline was mainly due to a reduction in the number of jobs for self-employed workers.

Businesses are hiring fewer freelancers, due to the government’s decision to begin enforcing new rules aimed as cracking down on sham self-employment.

In total, 390 people are now officially unemployed, or 3.8% of the workforce. That is a rise of 0.1 percentage point on the previous quarter.