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This 2007 Economic Survey looks at how, after a long stagnation during the first half of the decade, the Dutch economy has made a successful comeback. Living standards in the Netherlands are among the highest in the OECD, and over recent years growth has strengthened and unemployment has fallen. This most recent survey focuses on labour utilisation, which has been the main source of growth in the past decade, but which is likely to slow sharply with the ageing of the Dutch population. Improving work incentives is therefore a key imperative. Although labour-market participation rates are high, there are several groups who continue to be less active. This survey looks at the challenges threatening the prosperity of the Dutch economy, which include: addressing the effects of population ageing on the sustainability of the public finances; boosting the labour market involvement of under-participating groups; helping parents reconcile work and family responsibilities; and improving the immigration policy and the integration of migrants.
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