The official Dutch unemployment rate fell again to 3.9% in March, down from 4.1% in February, the national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday.

This is the lowest figure in over 10 years, the CBS said. Social affairs minister Wouter Koolmees said the challenge now is ‘to ensure that people who are still looking for a job find one that suits them’.

In particular, the construction industry and healthcare sector need more properly trained staff, the minister said.

The new figures mean that 8.7 million people in the Netherlands have a job of at least 12 hours a week. A further 4.2 million people do not work, most of whom are not looking for a job at present.

The CBS also says that the gap between the male and female unemployment rate is shrinking. In March 3.8% of men and 4.1% of women were without a job.