Dutch deputy PM calls for job plans over rising unemployment

Dutch deputy Prime Minister Lodewijk Asscher on Thursday called on employers to come up with job plans to fight the unemployment which is still on the rise. The unemployed increased 9,000 in May to a total of around 660,000 people, accounting for 8.3 percent of the working population in the Netherlands, the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) said on Thursday. Asscher said that plans that lead to more work or internships for young people, to retaining skilled workers or supervising workers at risk of losing their job, will be half financed by the government. The Dutch government has already reserved 600 million euros (791 million U.S. dollars) for the period 2014-2015 to sponsor job creation, and the money will be available from October 1 this year. "Plans from the working sectors are necessary to get people working and keep them working. I want people to really get to work, that is only possible together with employers and employees," stated Asscher.