Over 1 million more migrant workers in Netherlands than official figurs show: study

The scale of labor migration is much larger than estimated. While the government speaks of 220,000 to 700,000 migrant workers, the Dutch labor market actually has around 1.7 million foreign workers, reported the research agency Intelligence Group based on new research into labor migration in the Netherlands.

Of the 1.7 million foreign workers, approximately 1 million are non-Dutch workers registered with the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV). In addition, there are approximately 250,000 highly skilled migrants, 100,000 seconded foreign workers employed by foreign employers, and 100,000 undocumented third-country nationals working in the Netherlands. These are followed by smaller groups like cross-border workers, Ukrainians, and international students.

“The discussion about labor migration is based on figures that systematically underestimate reality,” said Geert-Jan Waasdorp, director of the labor market at Intelligence Group. “Due to registration gaps, definition limitations, and outdated data, we only have a small picture of what is actually happening in the Dutch labor market.”

The investigation exposes how the Dutch registration system unintentionally provides a back door to the labor market. Through the Non-Residents Registration System (RNI), third-country nationals without residency permits can obtain a Citizen Service Number (BSN), which they can use to open a bank account and get a job. Estimates point to over 100,000 non-EU citizens working illegally in this way. The Dutch Labor Inspectorate, the Aliens Police, and the Expertise Center for Human Trafficking previously issued a joint “administrative signal” on this matter.

“If we were to include all workers in the Netherlands, we wouldn’t have 10 million workers, but at least 11 million,” Waasdorp said.