Dutch adults who grew up in households receiving assistance less likely to work at 29

Dutch young adults who spent five or more years growing up in a household receiving social assistance are less likely to be working at 29 than those who did not, according to new figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS). They are also more likely to rely on benefits and less likely to hold a higher-education qualification.

Among those who spent at least five years in a household receiving assistance between the ages of 12 and 18, 69% were working at 29 and 20% had benefits as their main source of income. The comparable figures for those who never grew up in a household receiving assistance were 89% and 6%.

The study followed 186,000 people who turned 18 in 2013 and lived in the Netherlands from ages 12 to 18. CBS compared their circumstances over time, including household and income records. About 10% of the group had spent at least some time in a household receiving assistance; 3% had done so for five years or more. [1]

Education levels also differed. Around 20% of those who had grown up partly in a household receiving assistance had a higher-education degree by 29, compared with 50% of those who had never done so. The length of time their household received assistance made little difference to qualification levels, CBS reported.

Among those in paid employment, people who had spent some years in an assistance-receiving household were less likely to have a permanent contract: about 60%, compared with 71% among those who had not. They also worked fewer hours and had lower hourly pay, according to CBS. [1]