Labour participation of status holders stagnating

Every year, CBS studies how the asylum seekers are faring who have arrived in the Netherlands since 2014This study has been commissioned by the Dutch Ministries of Social Affairs and Employment (SZW), Justice and Security (JenV), Education, Culture and Science (OCW) and Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS). In this news release, the focus lies on the status holders: asylum seekers who have been granted a residence permit.

In the period 2014 to June 2020 inclusive, 158 thousand people received a temporary asylum residence permit. Most of them have Syrian nationality (91 thousand), followed by Eritrean nationality (29 thousand). Since 2017, a rising number of Turkish and Yemeni nationals have been receiving a residence permit in the Netherlands (2.5 and 1.5 thousand respectively).

More recent status holders find work faster

More and more status holders are finding employment after completing their compulsory civic integration course. The longer they are permit holders, the more likely they are to find a job. The more recent cohorts are increasingly successful in finding work. In the 2014 permit cohort, 6 percent were working two years later; this share was 12 percent among status holders from 2017. Over the past six months, however, the share of employed status holders has remained the same or even declined slightly. This period partly coincides with the second quarter of 2020, the onset of the coronavirus crisis.

Less secure labour market position

Status holders often have a less secure labour position. More often than average, they have fixed-term contracts and part-time jobs; relatively often this is a job in accommodation and food services. Although the longer they have a permit, the more likely they are to have a permanent contract and work more hours, their position is more vulnerable compared to the average Dutch worker. In the 2014 permit cohort, 65 percent were working part-time in their most recent job while 78 percent did not have a permanent contract. Sixteen percent of the status holders had a job in accommodation and food services. In the 2019 permit cohort, 86 percent had a part-time job, 92 percent had a temporary contract and 37 percent were working in accommodation and food services.

Flevoland and Zeeland highest shares of employed status holders from 2014

Of the status holders who received an asylum residence permit in 2014, 43 percent were working 5.5 years later. This share is not equally distributed across the Netherlands. Of the 2014 status holders living in the regions of Flevoland and Overig-Zeeland, more than 50 percent had a job 5.5 years later, while in Oost-Groningen, Zuidwest-Friesland and Zuidwest-Drenthe the share is less than 35 percent.

The publication Asylum and integration 2021 sheds light on the influx of asylum seekers at COA reception centres as well as the composition of the newest group of status holders. Furthermore, it provides an up-to-date account of how the status holders have fared who have received an asylum residence permit since 2014. Figures presented here include the inflow and outflow at COA reception centres, the waiting period for an asylum residence permit, housing, civic integration, household composition, family reunification, education, work and income, health care utilisation and crime. This research has been commissioned by the Dutch Ministries of Social Affairs and Employment, Justice and Security, Education, Culture and Science and Health, Welfare and Sport.