Dutch Business Confidence Hits Four-Year Low
Business confidence in the Netherlands has taken its biggest dive since the 2022 lockdowns, hitting a score of -14.8 at the start of Q2 2026. For the first time in years, sentiment is negative across every single industry, fueled by a gloomy outlook on the current economy and future stability.
The construction industry saw the steepest drop, while agriculture remains the most pessimistic overall. Manufacturing and transport firms are particularly stressed by the high levels of economic uncertainty.
On the pricing front, 30% of companies now expect to hike their prices in the next three months—a noticeable jump from last quarter, especially in trade and manufacturing.
Interestingly, while finding workers used to be the top headache for bosses, that pressure is fading. Instead, more businesses are worried about weak demand and “other factors” like messy geopolitical conflicts and strict new government regulations. Still, about a third of companies say they aren’t facing any major hurdles at all.