In 2022, there were 609 thousand young people (aged 15 to 34 years) in the Netherlands who had completed a technical education. There were relatively few women in this group; compared to men, women were also less likely to work in technical occupations. The difference between young women and young men in choosing a technical education is already visible in senior general (HAVO) and pre-university (VWO) secondary education. Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reports this in the context of the National Youth Monitor 2023 on the basis of figures from the Labour Force Survey and education statistics.
Read publicationFewer young, highly educated people have completed technical studies compared to ten years ago. Among these engineering graduates, the number of men is four times as high as the number of women. According to Statistics Netherlands, nearly 30 percent of female and almost half of male engineering graduates start working in technical occupations.
Read publication