Six months after the partial lockdown was announced, the Netherlands, like many neighboring countries, is struggling with a crisis of unprecedented magnitude. Although mortality as a result of the virus outbreak has decreased significantly, relaxation of measures to limit human contact is often followed by an increase in daily infections.
In the recent period it has become clear that the outbreak of the virus and the measures taken on it have a major impact on the economy and society. Never before has Statistics Netherlands measured such a sharp contraction of the economy as in the second quarter. And that while we were still experiencing a long period of boom until mid-March. What impact does the crisis have on society and on ourselves? Statistics Netherlands has been asked by the corona consultation of the Social Economic Council to provide more insight into this with data.
Dashboard Prosperity in Corona Time
To provide this insight, Statistics Netherlands is launching a new dashboard today: Prosperity in corona time. The most recent state of affairs with regard to the economy and society is given for nine overarching themes. We do this on the basis of the many weekly, monthly and quarterly indicators that Statistics Netherlands regularly publishes and information that is made available by other parties. We bring these together and describe the developments with short texts and graphs. The dashboard will be expanded step by step in the coming months.
The dashboard is inspired by the Monitor Broad Prosperity & Sustainable Development Goals that Statistics Netherlands publishes every year in May. When the most recent edition was released in May 2020, the reporting year (2019) seemed far behind us due to the corona crisis. That is why it was decided to build a dashboard with up-to-date information. This dashboard shows a selection of relevant indicators that have had recent updates and thus provide more insight into the recent crisis period. Statistics Netherlands is working on making frequent updates possible for more indicators, so that the current insight in the coming period can improve.
Feeling healthier, fewer marriages
Looking at the dashboard, the first thing that strikes you is that we felt healthier in the second quarter of this year. A higher percentage of people than before reported experiencing their own health as good or even very good. Apart from health, the crisis also has other effects on the private sphere. In April and May, for example, only half as many marriages and partnerships were concluded as the year before. The number of divorces also fell slightly. Registered crime was much lower in the spring than a year earlier. This was partly due to a sharp drop in the number of burglaries. In June, however, it was slightly above the old level. From March onwards there have been many more reports of nuisance than a year earlier.
Budget surplus turns into deficit
Both consumer confidence and producer confidence in the manufacturing industry fell by historical figures. Producer confidence has, however, recovered considerably after the blow. This recovery already started in the second quarter, when the economy shrank with historical figures, as mentioned. To deal with the blows to the economy and employment, the government has set up a large package of support schemes. This did not have an effect on government finances. The budget surplus quickly turned into a deficit. Tax revenues are declining and expenditures are accelerating. In the months of March-June alone, the government spent almost 35 billion euros more than it received.
Fewer workers, more homework
Despite all the mitigating measures, the corona crisis quickly became visible on the labor market: the number of people in work fell sharply and the number of unemployed people rose. The number of people on welfare also rose for the first time in years, especially among young people. In June there was a slight recovery in employment. Much more work is done from home. A week or weekend away was certainly not an option in the early days: the number of nights spent in overnight accommodation in our own country was almost 90 percent lower in April than a year earlier.
Housing market
Whether forced or not by corona measures, our consumption fell sharply. Most households think it makes sense to save now. In the first quarter, no crisis could yet be seen in incomes. At the end of September we will know what the second quarter brought. The housing market is as yet undisturbed. Prices continue to rise and the number of transactions remains at a similar level.
Less traveled, fewer emissions
We are still on the plane very little, not much on public transport and we were temporarily less on the road. In the first quarter, CO2 emissions already decreased by 7.5 percent, probably also as a result of measures unrelated to the corona crisis, such as those relating to the energy transition. This month, Statistics Netherlands will publish the CO2 emissions in the second quarter. Consumption of motor fuels, natural gas and coal fell sharply in the first six months. This was partly about continuing existing trends.
–
