More new refugees finding their way on Dutch labor market

More and more refugees are able to find work in the Netherlands shortly after receiving their residency permit. They work mainly as on-call or agency workers, in the hospitality or retail sectors, Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reported.

In 2024, one in eight refugees had a job within three months of their asylum application being approved. That is over twice as many as in 2021. At that time, 6 percent of new refugees were working. In 2014, it was only 1 percent.

According to CBS, the increase is partly due to a change in the rules. Asylum seekers are now allowed to work more while their procedure is still ongoing.

Previously, this was limited to a maximum of 24 weeks per year, but that made it difficult for employers to give asylum seekers a chance. It also made it difficult for refugees to build a new life and become part of Dutch society.

In 2023, the Council of State struck down the limit on how much asylum seekers are allowed to work in the Netherlands. Now, asylum seekers can get a work permit as soon as they have been in the country for six months.

Refugees who have been in the Netherlands longer are even more likely to have a job. Of the people who received refugee status in 2021, nearly 33 percent had a job three years later. For the 2014 group, this was 19 percent, and in that cohort, over half had paid work seven years after receiving their residency permit.