Highly-educated young migrants upbeat on Netherlands job prospects

Highly educated young people with an immigrant background in the Netherlands are just as upbeat about their future in the country as their native Dutch counterparts, according to a study done by Knowledge Platform Integration & Society on behalf of the Ministry of Social Affairs. Their future plans are much more dependent on their parents' education level than where there parents came from, the Volkskrant reports.

For this study, called Shared Future - future orientation of Dutch (migrant) young people, the researchers surveyed nearly a thousand young people between the ages of 14 and 23. The were asked what they think their lives will look like when they are 25. Despite the education level of respondents being slightly higher than average, the researchers call the participants a reasonable reflection of Dutch youth.

Regardless of their origin, young people in the Netherlands largely choose a study program tat fits their interests. After that they expect to find a permanent job and find a home with a garden and a pet. According to a previous study by Erasmus University, 20 years ago young people with an immigrant background were more likely to focus on income than on continuing their studies.

Currently young people with an immigration background in the Netherlands are more likely to be unemployed or have flexible jobs, instead of permanent ones. There are also regular reports of discrimination on the labor market. Taking this into consideration, the researchers were surprised to find that the future plans of young people with an immigration background differ so little from those of young people with a Dutch background.

"In the more polarized society, discrimination on the labor market is regularly in the news, which sometimes discourages young people", researcher Eva Klooster said to the Volkskrant. "This study shows that many young people with an immigration background look positively to the future."