Consumer confidence in the Netherlands has been eroded this month because of the uncertainty surrounding the European debt crisis, says Statistics Netherlands (CBS).
The economic watchdog announced on Thursday that the key performance indicator used to measure consumer confidence is down nine points for August, ending on -21.
Consumers are especially concerned about the economic climate. The specific indicator used to evaluate that aspect dropped by 22 points to -38. And Dutch people apparently feel the worst is yet to come – confidence in the state of the economy over the next year fell by 25 points, said Statistics Netherlands.
Unemployment rose to 5.3 percent in the Netherlands last month. In July, there were 413,000 people without a job – 22,000 more than June. It’s the first time this year that the unemployment figure passed the 400,000-mark. From January to June, the figure was between 392,000 and 400,000.
(jn)
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