March 1, 2012

Preliminary table Main Economic Indicators 2011-2015 (March 2012)

Dutch budget deficit 4.5 percent in 2013 - Slow economic recovery expected after 2012

Press release
CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) expects that the Dutch budget deficit will be 4.5 percent, or 28 billion euros, in 2013. From that year onwards, the Dutch economy is expected to recover slowly, with a gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1¼percent in 2013.
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In 2012, the economy develops worse than expected in the December 2011 forecast. This is mainly due to the unfavourable economic developments in the fourth quarter of 2011. In addition, there has been a decrease of consumer spending levels, most likely due to lower consumer confidence levels, deteriorated (pension fund) wealth and decreasing housing prices. In 2012, the inflation rate will be 2¼percent and the median purchasing power will decrease by 1¾percent.

The forecasted budget deficit in 2013 is 4.5 percent. This means that the EMU-ceiling of 3 percent budget deficit will be passed by 9 billion euros. Should public policies remain unchanged the deficit will be 4.1 percent in 2014 and 3.3 percent in 2015. Unemployment increases to 6 percent in 2013, which amounts to 545.000 persons.

For the full cabinet period (2011-2015), average GDP growth is expected to be 1 percent, while 1¼percent was accounted at the start of the Rutte-government in late 2010. The difference is mainly caused by the economic recession of late 2011 and early 2012. The decrease in growth will not be fully recovered in later years. Therefore, the budget deficit in 2015 will be 16 billion euros higher than expected in 2010. The public debt will increase to 76 percent of GDP in 2015.

These are the draft figures for the Central Economic Plan 2012 (CEP), which contains the economic forecasts of 2012 and 2013. This year, the CEP will be complemented by an update of the economic medium-term outlook for the years 2014 and 2015. The numbers presented today are draft figures as they may still change before the final forecast will be presented at a press conference on Tuesday 20 March, 09.30 hours in press centre Nieuwspoort, Lange Poten 10, The Hague. CPB will not provide further analysis or information until that moment.

Journalists who would like to attend the press conference are obliged to register with Edwin van de Haar, CPB spokesman, e.r.van.de.haar@cpb.nl.

Read the accompanying press release.

Preliminary table 'Extended main economic indicators', 2011-2015

International items
 20112012201320142015
Relevant world trade (vol. %)

4.0

-1 3/4

4 1/2

6

6

Import price goods (%)

5.5

2 1/2

1/4

0

-1/4

Export price competitors (%)

5.8

3 3/4

-1/4

1/2

1/2

Crude oil price (Brent, $)

111.3

111

111

111

111

Exchange rate (dollar p euro)

1.39

1.29

1.29

1.29

1.29

Long-term interest rate
(level in %)

2.9

2.3

2.7

3.0

3.3

Demand and foreign trade (volume)
 20112012201320142015
Gross domestic product
(GDP, economic growth) (%)

1.2

-3/4

1 1/4

1 1/2

1 1/2

Value gross domestic
product (GDP) (bln euro)

603.6

609

627

647

669

Private consumption (%)

-0.9

-1/2

1/2

1/2

1/4

Public demand (%)

0.6

-1

0

-1/4

-1/4

Gross fixed investment,
private non-residential (%)

7.2

-3 1/4

7 1/2

6 3/4

5 1/2

Exports of goods
(non-energy) (%)

4.3

-1 3/4

3 3/4

6 1/4

6 3/4

of which domestically
produced (%)

1.8

-1/2

3 1/2

4

4

re-exports (%)

6.3

-3

4

8 1/4

9 1/4

Imports of goods (%)

3.7

-1 3/4

3 1/4

5

5 3/4

Prices, wages and purchasing power
 20112012201320142015
Export price goods
(excluding energy) (%)

1.7

1/2

1/4

-1/4

-1/4

Price competitiveness (%)

-0.7

2 1/4

-3/4

0

0

Consumer prices (CPI) (%)

2.3

2 1/4

1 3/4

2

2 1/4

Consumer prices
(harmonised, HICP) (%)

2.5

2 1/4

1 1/2

1 3/4

2

Price of gross
domestic product (%)

1.4

1 3/4

1 1/2

1 3/4

1 3/4

Price of national
expenditure (%)

1.2

2 1/4

1 3/4

1 3/4

2

Contractual wages
market sector (%)

1.4

1 3/4

1 1/2

2

2 1/4

Compensation per full-time
employee market sector (%)

2.5

3 1/4

1 1/2

2 1/2

2 1/2

Gross wage Jones family
(in euro's)

33000

33000

33000

34000

34500

Purchasing power (Jones,
one-income household) (%)

-1.4

-2 1/4

-1/2

-1 1/2

-2

Purchasing power
(median, all households) (%)

-1.0

-1 3/4

0

-1/2

-1/2

Labour market (international definition 'labour force', unless stated differently)
 20112012201320142015
Population (x 1000 pers.)

16690

16765

16835

16835

16835

Labour force (15-74)
(x 1000 pers.)

8746

8890

8915

8915

8930

Employed labour force
(15-74) (x 1000 pers.)

8357

8395

8370

8375

8435

Unemployment
(x 1000 pers.)

389

500

545

535

495

Employed Persons
(15-74) (%)

-0.3

-1/4

0

1/4

3/4

Labour force
(15-74) (%)

0.0

1 3/4

1/4

0

1/4

Employed labour
force (15-74) (%)

0.0

1/2

-1/4

0

3/4

Unemployment rate
(% labour force)

4.5

5 1/2

6

6

5 1/2

Idem, national definition
(% labour force)

5.4

6 3/4

7 1/4

7 1/4

6 1/2

Market sector
 20112012201320142015
Production (%)

1.8

-1 1/2

1 3/4

2

2

Labour productivity (%)

1.5

-3/4

2 1/2

2 1/4

1 1/4

Employment
 (labour years) (%)

0.2

-3/4

-3/4

0

1/2

Price gross value added (%)

0.5

3/4

1

1

1/2

Real labour costs (%)

2.0

2 1/4

1/4

1 1/2

2

Labour share in
enterprise income
 (level in %)

78.6

81 1/2

79 1/4

78 1/2

79

General government
 20112012201320142015
General government financial
balance (% GDP)

-5.0

-4.5

-4.5

-4.1

-3.3

Gross debt general
government (% GDP)

65.4

69.7

73.0

74.9

75.8

Taxes and social security
contributions (% GDP)

38.2

38.8

38.6

39.0

39.3

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