Most labor migrants do not stay in the Netherlands for good, according to new research from the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis. After a few years, they often leave again. How long someone stays is determined by their position in the labor market and how well our economy is doing.
Labor migrants with a higher income and labor migrants with a partner stay longer. This is according to a study by the Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis (CPB) on the length of stay of labor migrants in the Netherlands.
The study examined a period of 23 years. Of all foreign workers who came to the Netherlands since 1999, almost three quarters had left again after ten years.
“There is a lot of attention for migration at the moment and we also see that reflected in politics,” says CPB researcher Gerdien Meijerink. Certain political parties are concerned about the number of labor migrants who come to work here and the pressure that this creates on, for example, housing.
“But we see that 75 percent return to their country of origin within ten years. Some even much sooner, for example if there is a recession here and jobs disappear.”
Currently 850,000 labor migrants in the Netherlands
There are currently approximately 850,000 labor migrants working in the Netherlands. The expectation is that this number will increase to 1.2 million in 2030.
Due to abuses and the pressure on society, the caretaker cabinet wants to curb labor migration. But limiting the influx of labor migrants is almost impossible, since there is free movement of people in the European Union.
The labor migrants are mainly active in agriculture and horticulture, distribution centers, construction, logistics, the food industry and the metal sector. Approximately two thirds come from Eastern European countries, such as Poland, Romania and Bulgaria. Most are employed and some work through a temporary employment agency.
The higher the income, the longer the stay
The higher the income, the longer a labor migrant stays in the Netherlands. According to the CPB, a labor migrant with a monthly income of between 1,000 and 2,000 euros usually remains in the Netherlands after five years. This concerns approximately two thirds of this group. For employees with a monthly income between 2,000 euros and 3,000 euros, that is 78 percent.
The CPB further reports that labor migrants stay in the Netherlands for a shorter period if unemployment is higher here, or if the economy in their country of origin is growing faster. Job loss and finding work again also influence the length of stay: for labor migrants who lose their job, the chance of leaving the Netherlands is on average three times as great as during their first period of work in our country.
For labor migrants who find a job again after a period without work, the chance of leaving is approximately two times as small as during their first working period. Demographic personal characteristics such as family composition, gender, age and region of birth also influence the length of stay.