European migration to Netherlands up 50% in seven years

A total of 639 thousand migrants from European Union countries were living in the Netherlands on December 31st 2014. That is an increase of 47 percent compared to the 435 thousand EU migrants in the country in 2007, according to figures released by Statistics Netherlands on Monday. Since 2012, the annual increase was about 5.5 percent. 

Most of the EU migrants in the Netherlands come from Poland, followed by Germany, Belgium and the United Kingdom. Approximately three quarters of these migrants are registered with a Dutch municipality. Some of the unregistered EU migrants work as seasonal workers, and are therefore not required to register.

At the end of 2013 around 60 percent of all the EU migrants in the Netherlands were employed. Among migrants from Central and Eastern European countries, 74 percent were employed. About 23 percent of EU migrants without work were studying in 2-13. About 19 percent had an employed partner and just over 13 percent were receiving welfare benefits. The rest had a partner on welfare.

The number of unemployment, disability and welfare benefits going to EU migrants in the Netherlands increased by 26 percent from slightly more than 42 thousand in 2012 to almost 53 thousand in 2014. The increase is mainly attributable to unemployment benefits, which increased in line with the national trend.