Two-thirds support limited admission of labour migrants
- The majority of adults support allowing labour migrants into the Netherlands, but only up to a certain limit.
- A large majority say that both low-paid and high-paid labour migrants should be welcome, whether they are from inside or outside the EU.
- Most people believe that labour migrants can help to alleviate staff shortages, but can also lead to more pressure in the housing market.
Most adults (68 percent) believe that the Netherlands should admit labour migrants, but with a cap on numbers. The share of people who would like to admit all labour migrants is significantly lower, at 17 percent. Of the remainder, 12 percent believe that the Netherlands should admit as few labour migrants as possible (12 percent) or none at all (3 percent). These findings come from Statistics Netherlands’ Perceptions 2025 survey.
Among those in favour of the (limited) admission of labour migrants, 82 percent believe that both low-paid and high-paid labour migrants should be allowed into the country to work. Furthermore, for most of them (63 percent) it makes no difference whether labour migrants come from the EU or not, and 58 percent believe that migrants’ families should be able to join them in the Netherlands. Opinions on which jobs labour migrants should be allowed to do are more divided. Around half believe they should only be allowed to work in certain sectors – such as those with staff shortages, while the other half believe they should be allowed to work anywhere.
| Mening over begrensde toelating arbeidsmigranten | % (% in favour (18 yrs and older)) |
|---|---|
| Labour migrants with any level of education | 82.3 |
| Labour migrants from both inside and outside the EU | 63.3 |
| Family members of labour migrants | 57.8 |
| In all economic sectors | 45.9 |
Three-quarters believe that labour migration helps alleviate staff shortages
According to 75 percent of all adults, labour migration can solve staff shortages in certain sectors. Around half also believe that labour migrants can strengthen the economy, and that they bring knowledge and experience with them. At the same time, the majority of adults (62 percent) believe that labour migration means fewer homes are available for people who already live in the Netherlands. This view is particularly prevalent among young people aged 18 to 24 years, 70 percent of whom believe this. A quarter of respondents also think that labour migrants lead to more crime and antisocial behaviour, and fewer jobs for Dutch people.
| Mening over gevolgen arbeidsmigranten | Yes (% of adults (18 yrs and older)) | Maybe (% of adults (18 yrs and older)) | No (% of adults (18 yrs and older)) | Don't know (% of adults (18 yrs and older)) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Solution to labour shortage | 74.8 | 17.0 | 5.8 | 2.3 |
| Fewer homes for Dutch people | 61.8 | 25.1 | 9.3 | 3.7 |
| Benefit to the economy | 50.8 | 32.6 | 11.1 | 5.5 |
| Bring new knowledge and experience | 47.4 | 35.3 | 13.3 | 3.9 |
| Fewer jobs for Dutch people | 25.8 | 30.0 | 38.8 | 5.4 |
| More anti-social behaviour and criminality | 24.5 | 35.9 | 30.2 | 9.3 |
Half of adults believe labour migrants should be able to stay after their contract ends
Almost half of respondents believe that labour migrants should be allowed to stay in the Netherlands after their employment contract ends. Of these, 42 percent believe this should only be allowed after migrants have worked in the Netherlands for a few years, while 6 percent believe this should be possible in all cases. 37 percent of respondents believe that labour migrants should return home when their contract ends. People in the 18 to 44 age group are more likely to believe that labour migrants should be able to stay after their employment contract ends (either in all cases or if the person has worked in the Netherlands for more than a few years) than those aged over 45 years.
| Leeftijd | Always (%) | If they have worked in Netherlands for >1 year (%) | No (%) | Don't know (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | 5.9 | 42.1 | 36.6 | 15.4 |
| 18-24 yrs | 7.1 | 51.2 | 28.1 | 13.7 |
| 25-44 yrs | 7.7 | 45.0 | 32.7 | 14.6 |
| 45-64 yrs | 5.1 | 37.3 | 42.1 | 15.5 |
| 65 yrs and older | 4.0 | 40.7 | 38.1 | 17.2 |