The official Dutch unemployment rate fell to 3.3% in May, as the number of people looking for work continues to fall by around 10,000 a month, national statistics agency CBS said on Thursday.

The jobless figure rose to 4.6% last August as the coronavirus pandemic took hold, but has fallen steadily since then.

Fewer people were also claiming unemployment benefits in May. The total reached just under 250,000 by the end of the month – down 17% year on year.  It is the fourth month in a row that WW benefit claims have fallen.

Some 9.3 million people in the Netherlands are classified as being part of the working population.