The global financial crisis did not pass the Netherlands unnoticed. The housing markt collapsed, businesses went belly-up, and jobs were lost. And we are still looking for that light at the end of the tunnel. In the last quarter of 2012 the Netherlands officially went into its third recession in five years time.
But, even a small country like the Netherlands, has a diverse economy and large differences between provinces, regions and cities. How is the economy of Eindhoven doing, where high-tech companies like Philips, ASML and DAF reside? How is the unemployment developing in Rotterdam, where unemployment was high even before the crisis? And could it be that the housing market is fairing better close to the border with economic pillar of strength Germany? Perhaps the selling-prices for the villa’s of the rich are dropping faster than the terraced houses across the street, or is it the other way around?
Where is the Netherlands hit hardest, what sectors bear the bunt of the problems, and where can we see that light at the end of the tunnel? And, considering the diversity of even a small nation of the Netherlands: how is my city and my neighborhood doing in the midst of the economic downturn?
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