Distribution of well-being: labour and leisure time

Labour and leisure time concerns the quantity and quality of work, and the balance between work and leisure time. Paid and unpaid work gives people control over their lives and helps them develop skills and a sense of self-esteem and usefulness to society. Leisure time contributes to health, life satisfaction and social relationships. The differences between population groups are measured in terms of net labour participation, satisfaction with work and satisfaction with the amount of leisure time available.

  • Men, 25 to 54-year-olds, those with higher vocational or university education, people with a senior general secondary (HAVO), pre-university (VWO) or secondary vocational (MBO) qualification, people born in the Netherlands with both parents born in the Netherlands or at least one parent born outside Europe, and people born in Europe were more likely than average to be in paid employment.
  • People in aged between 45 and 74, those with higher vocational or university education and people born in the Netherlands with both parents also born in the Netherlands were more likely than average to be satisfied with their work.
  • Three-quarters of adults in the Netherlands were satisfied or very satisfied with the amount of leisure time they had in 2024. Particularly those aged 55 and over, people with a prevocational secondary education (VMBO) qualification or equivalent and people born in the Netherlands with parents also born in the Netherlands were more likely than average to be satisfied with the amount of leisure time they have.

Net labour participation

Net labour participation is the share of the population that belongs to the active labour force. The active labour force consists of individuals who have paid work. The data on net labour participation relate to the population aged 15 to 74.

For more information on the labour market situation of the Dutch population, see Statistics Netherlands (2025) and SDG 8.2 Labour and leisure time.

Situation in 2024

In 2024, 73.2 percent of the population aged 15 to 74 were in paid employment. Paid employment involves all paid work, irrespective of working hours. Workers with small part-time jobs are also included.

  • In 2024, the net labour participation rate for men was above average, at 77.2 percent, while for women it was below average (69.2 percent).
  • Net labour participation was highest among 25 to 34-year-olds, 35 to 44-year-olds and 45 to 54-year-olds, at 87.6 percent, 87.1 percent and 86.0 percent, respectively. Rates were lower, but still above average, among 55 to 64-year-olds (75.3 percent) and 15 to 24-year-olds (76.0 percent). Of those aged between 65 and 74, 19.7 percent were in paid employment. The majority of this group are retired.
  • The net labour participation was higher than average among those with higher vocational or university education (82.7 percent) and people with a HAVO, VWO or MBO qualification (75.1 percent). Of those with a VMBO qualification or equivalent, 57.3 percent were in paid employment, which is lower than average.
  • People born in the Netherlands with parents also both born in the Netherlands had a higher than average net labour participation rate (74.4 percent). This was also true for people born in the Netherlands with at least one parent born outside Europe (76.9 percent), and European-born migrants (74.9 percent). Labour participation rates were below average for people born in the Netherlands with at least one parent born in Europe (excluding the Netherlands) (69.4 percent) and migrants born outside Europe (62.5 percent).

Sex, age, educational attainment and origin/country of birth are correlated. For example, the percentage of people with higher vocational or university education is not the same in all age groups. This is accounted for by applying a standardisation procedure, which corrects for differences between groups in the above characteristics. The standardised figures reveal that people born in the Netherlands with one or both parents born outside Europe, and migrants who were themselves born outside Europe, are actually less likely than average to be in paid employment. The fact that, without standardisation, their participation is nevertheless higher or the same as average is primarily due to their age. Second-generation migrants with one or both parents born outside Europe are a relatively young group, comprising many 15 to 44-year-olds. And migrants who were born elsewhere in Europe are more likely to be between 25 and 54 years of age. These are the very same age groups for which participation rates are relatively high.

Changes compared to 2019

Despite a decrease in 2020, the first year of the pandemic, net labour participation rose from 70.0 percent to 73.2 percent between 2019 and 2024. There was a different picture among the following groups:

  • For those aged 25 to 54, the increase in net labour participation between 2019 and 2024 was below average, whereas for 55 to 74-year-olds it was above average. Net labour participation among those aged between 15 and 24 rose at the same rate as average.
  • Among those with a HAVO, VWO or MBO qualification, the increase in labour participation in this period was below average. By contrast, among those with a VMBO qualification or equivalent, the increase in net labour participation was above average.
  • The increase in the share of people in paid employment was above average among people born in the Netherlands with both parents also born in the Netherlands. This was also true for people born in the Netherlands with at least one parent born outside Europe. Among migrants born outside Europe, there was only limited growth in net labour participation between 2019 and 2024, and the increase lagged behind the average increase in labour participation.

Job satisfaction

Situation in 2024

In 2024, 78.7 percent of all employees aged between 15 and 74 were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs, according to the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey conducted by Statistics Netherlands and the Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research.

  • Employees aged between 25 and 34 (76.5 percent), and 35 and 44 (77.3 percent), were less likely than average to be satisfied with their work. By contrast, employees aged between 45 and 54 (80.2 percent), 55 and 64 (79.6 percent) and, in particular, those aged 65 to 74 (85.6 percent), were more likely than average to be satisfied.
  • Employees with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (80.2 percent) reported above-average job satisfaction. Employees with a VMBO diploma or equivalent (77.3 percent) and employees with a HAVO, VWO or MBO qualification (78.2 percent) were slightly below the average.
  • Employees born in the Netherlands whose parents were also both born in the Netherlands reported above-average job satisfaction (81.1 percent). Conversely, job satisfaction was slightly below average among employees born in the Netherlands with one or both parents born in Europe (excluding the Netherlands) (76.2 percent), employees born in the Netherlands with one or both parents born outside Europe (72.7 percent) and employees born in Europe (excluding the Netherlands) (71.5 percent) or outside Europe (70.6 percent).

Sex, age, educational attainment and origin/country of birth are correlated with one another. For example, the percentage of people with higher vocational or university education is not the same in all age groups. This can be accounted for by standardising the figures. The standardised figures confirm the conclusions described above with regard to the groups with above and below-average job satisfaction.

Changes between 2022 and 2024

The percentage of employees who were satisfied or very satisfied with their jobs was higher in 2024 than in 2022 (77.9 percent). The following groups of employees underwent changes that were different from the average:

  • Among 55 to 64-year-old employees, the increase in job satisfaction was higher than average. By contrast, among 65 to 74-year-old employees, there was actually a decrease in job satisfaction in this period.
  • Among employees with higher vocational or university education or equivalent, job satisfaction did not change significantly between 2022 and 2024.
  • The job satisfaction of employees of Dutch origin increased significantly more than average between 2022 and 2024. By contrast, among employees born in the Netherlands with at least one parent born outside Europe, job satisfaction declined in this period.

Satisfaction with leisure time

Situation in 2024

In 2024, 74.9 percent of adults in the Netherlands were satisfied with the amount of leisure time they had.

  • People of different ages have different opinions about the amount of leisure time they have. People aged 18 to 54 are less likely than average to be satisfied with the amount of leisure time they have (approximately two-thirds), while those aged 55 and over are more likely than average to be satisfied. Among those aged 75 and over, nearly 95 percent are satisfied with their leisure time.
  • At 81.1 percent, those with a VMBO qualification or equivalent are more likely than average to be satisfied with the amount of leisure time they have, whereas those with different levels of educational attainment are less likely than average to be satisfied.
  • People born in the Netherlands whose parents were also born in the Netherlands are more likely to be satisfied with the amount of leisure time they have: 77.4 percent say they are satisfied. People born outside the Netherlands or with at least one parent born outside Europe are less likely than average to be satisfied.

The characteristics of sex, age, educational attainment and origin/country of birth may be correlated. For example, the percentage of people with higher vocational or university or equivalent education is not the same in all age groups. This can be accounted for by standardising the figures, correcting for the differences between groups with regard to the aforementioned characteristics. Based on standardised figures for satisfaction with leisure time, the above findings regarding above or below-average satisfaction with leisure time for the various groups remain valid. However:

  • If a correction is applied to the educational attainment level groups for their unequal composition by sex, age and origin/country of birth, satisfaction with leisure time for the different levels of educational attainment no longer deviates from the average. The differences in the uncorrected figures are therefore related to the composition of these groups, based on the above characteristics.
  • If we correct the origin/country-of-birth groups for composition by sex, age and educational attainment, satisfaction with leisure time is no longer below average for people born in the Netherlands with at least one parent born outside Europe. The same applies to people born outside Europe.

Differences between 2019 and 2024

The overall share of people saying they were satisfied with the amount of leisure time at their disposal did not change significantly between 2019 and 2024. Compared to that change in the population as a whole, there was a different picture among the following groups:

  • among 18- to 24-year-olds, satisfaction with the amount of leisure time fell by 6.0 percentage points in this period.