Improvement of Employment Chances of the Unemployed and the Visual and Audible Disabled by using Virtual Learning Applications Some basic data concerning the Dutch, 2006 Herbert ten Thij I.E.R. The Netherlands

Core indicators: The Netherlands Population February 2006 Economic growth2,9%1 rst Quarter 2006 Unemployed labour force6,0%Feb. – April 2006

The Netherlands In 2005 some 7 million people aged 15–64 made up the active labour force. Over 1 million people were without employment, while they would like to have a paid job. Another 3 million people did not want to or could not work.

In 2005 there were more than 1 million men and almost 2 million women who did not want a job of twelve hours or more right away. The main reason for almost a third of them, mainly young people, was education. More than one in five gave ill health and disability as their reason, and another fifth care for the family. The latter group consists almost entirely of women. The Netherlands Reasons not to want paid work, 2005

The Netherlands People aged who do not want paid work, by reason In the period 2000 – 2005 the number of people aged 15–64 who do not want a job because of early retirement or illness or disability still increased slightly.

The Netherlands Gross labour participation rate of the labour force by education level, ages The lowest participation rate is found among the people with the lowest levels of education. Their participation increased in the period 1996–2005, especially among people with the lowest secondary vocational education. In 1996 some 56 percent worked or was looking for a job; this increased to almost 62 percent in The participation rate of people with elementary level education increased from 43 to over 46 percent.

The Netherlands The increase in the gross labour participation rate is due to an increase in the education level of the labour force. The share of highly educated people increased over the past decade and the share of less well educated people fell. This is the main reason why the gross labour participation rate increased from 67 percent in 1996 to 74 percent in 2005.

The Netherlands Reported health and lifestyle Persons with type OECD limitations in: HearingEyesightMobilityAudibility Characteristics users: Periods % Health insurance fund Private health insurance Per 2006 there is no difference any more between Health Insurance Fund and Private Health Insurance, as by Dutch law the Health Insurance System has been changed into one integral insurance system.

The Netherlands Limitations acc. to the OECD-indicator The OECD indicator (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) is based on 7 questions: 1. be able to follow a conversation in a group of three or more persons (with or without a hearing aid) 2. have a conversation with one person (with or without a hearing aid) 3. read the small print in the newspaper (with or without glasses or contact lenses) 4. recognise somebody's face at a distance of 4 metres (with or without glasses or contact lenses) 5. carry an object of 5 kilogrammes, for instance a shopping bag over a distance of 10 metres 6. pick up something from the floor from an upright position 7. walk 400 metres without stopping (with or without a stick). Four answers are possible: 'easily', 'with a bit of effort', 'with a lot of effort', 'impossible'. The indicator scores 'yes' if the answer to at least 1 of the 7 questions is: 'with a lot of effort' or 'impossible'. The respondents are persons in the age category 12 years and older. As from 2001, a question has been added concerning speech impediment: can you speak audibly? This question does not affect the indicator.

The Netherlands Hearing Hearing impediment if the answer to at least one of the questions on hearing (see: OECD indicator) is 'impossible' or 'with a lot of effort'. The figures refer to persons in the age category 12 years and older. Eyesight Visual impediment if the answer to at least one of the questions on eyesight (see: OECD indicator) is 'impossible' or 'with a lot of effort'. The figures refer to persons in the age category 12 years and older. Mobility Limited mobility if the answer to at least one of the questions on mobility (see: OECD indicator) is 'impossible' or 'with a lot of effort'. The figures refer to persons in the age category 12 years and older. Audibility Percentage of persons who answered 'with a lot of effort' or 'impossible' to the question: Can you speak audibly? The figures refer to persons in the age category 12 years and older.

The Netherlands The Dutch and ICT. Computer and Internet skills in the Dutch population, 2005 Most of the Dutch population use computers and the Internet for simple tasks. People who use the Internet use it for five different activities on average. Sending/receiving and browsing are by far the most common activities. Most people in the Netherlands who use computers and the Internet perform simple operations such as using a mouse, copying and pasting information and using a search engine. Considerably fewer people perform more complex actions such as condensing files, using simple formulas in a spreadsheet or designing a web page. The more complex an operation is, the more ICT skills it requires.

The Netherlands Diversity of Internet activities, 2004 Nearly 80 percent of households in the Netherlands have access to the Internet. This is the highest access rate in the European Union. Dutch Internet users used it for five different activities on average in Sending and receiving and browsing are the most popular uses. Other frequent activities are downloading software, on- line shopping and on-line job searches.

The Netherlands Diversity of Internet activities, 2004 Thirty percent of the Dutch population purchased at least one product through the Internet in This percentage is considerably higher than the average 20 percent for the EU as a whole. Nevertheless, the overall conclusion is that the ICT skills of the Dutch are still limited.

The Netherlands ICT use by companies, 2004 In 2004, 14 percent of Dutch companies sold products on- line. Companies with a broadband Internet connection were more active in the area of e-commerce than companies without broadband. Compared with other countries in the EU 15, the percentage of companies active in e-commerce is not particularly high in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands Companies with a broadband Internet connection make more use of certain ICT applications, including activities in the area of e-commerce, than companies with a slower Internet connection. One quarter of companies with a broadband connection purchased goods or services on-line in For companies with a slower Internet connection this was only 14 percent. Internal linkage of computer systems is clearly more common among companies with broadband Internet: nearly two-thirds of these companies had linked their orders system to one or more computer systems, compared with half of companies without a broadband connection. The presence of broadband Internet is thus a measure for the general level of ICT use within a company.

The Netherlands ICT use by companies, 2004 Compared with other countries in the EU 15, the percentage of Dutch companies active in e-commerce is not very high. Twenty percent of companies in the Netherlands buy or sell goods or services on-line, while 14 percent receive orders on-line. Although this places the Netherlands above the southern countries in the EU 15, countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Ireland and the United Kingdom still perform much better. In all countries there are more companies which purchase goods or services on- line than companies that sell on-line. Buying on-line is easier: to place an order on-line a company only has to make use of facilities created by others. Selling on-line, however, requires a company to invest in a website with product and price information and on-line service.

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