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Tracing Amsterdam's Path to a High-Income Economy
The city's current position rests on a 2022 rebound and structural features that developed over recent years.
How we reported this
Amsterdam recorded a GDP per capita of $67,520 and an unemployment rate of 3.87 percent, figures that reflect recovery steps taken after the pandemic years.
Recovery through tourism and services
The local economy expanded 4.5 percent in 2022 after tourist arrivals rose 138 percent to 6.9 million visitors. That rebound added directly to output in a region already responsible for the largest share of Dutch economic activity. The service sector alone accounted for 23.2 percent of national GDP that same year, according to OECD data.
These numbers emerged from a period when international travel resumed and local firms in business services expanded. Amsterdam Metropolitan Area employment includes circular jobs at 11 percent, a share above the national average and tied to the city's 2050 circular-economy target.
Labour market pressures today
Only one short-term unemployed worker exists for every six job openings, a ratio that has persisted in recent years and limits expansion even as GDP per capita remains high. City data also project 1.6 percent growth for 2025, led by business services and ICT activities.
Entrepreneurs continue to report worker shortages while the overall unemployment rate sits near 4 percent. The combination of tight labour supply and established service strengths now shapes hiring and investment decisions across the metropolitan area.
Firms are adjusting recruitment and training programmes to match available skills, while city targets for full circularity by 2050 guide long-term planning in construction and waste sectors. Monitoring of job vacancy data and tourist volume trends will indicate whether these adjustments sustain output levels reached in 2022.