The Netherlands’ economists forecast for this year is a rise in unemployment, a lower yield on invested capital, a drop in investments and a worsening balance of payments.

In much of the industrialized world, unease is growing among people who have mostly prospered since they pulled themselves from the rubble of World War II. European and Japanese headlines tell of inflation, layoffs, strikes, bankruptcies—and economic slowdowns. Businessmen abroad are hearing that well-worn aphorism: When the U.S. sneezes,…