Government failing on jobs: Labour

The Cabinet has to make sure that there is more investment by, for example, pension funds to creat jobs. Diederik Samsom, leader of the PvdA, told the BNR on Tuesday that this is not happening right now. 

Last year, the Cabinet announced the plan for a national investment institution which would work to make sure that capacity from pension funds is invested more into society in the Netherlands.

Samsom is now calling out the "foremen" of the project for not making it happen quite as well as they promised. He urges Ministers Lodewijk Asscher (Social Affairs), Jeroen Dijsselbliem (Finance) and Henk Kamp (Economic Affairs) to ensure that the project gets off the ground.

Samsom points out that pension funds have a collective capacity of around €1000 billion. "That is now being invested in Miami and wherever else." If 1 percent is invested in the Netherlands, then this amounts to €10 billion, he says. This could create a lot of jobs.

Sybrand Buma, leader of the CDA, wants to request a debate in the House of Representatives about Samsom's expressions. "The CDA agrees with Samsom that the Cabinet is entirely dismissing it if it is about stimulating job opportunities by allowing pension funds to be invested more into the Netherlands."