Signal A fifth of labour migrants' potential unused

Summary

According to the report, one in five labour migrants in the Netherlands is currently unable to put their labour potential to use. The report expects that tapping this unused capacity would bring gains for society as a whole. The figure appears in a context where the largest and most persistent shortages are expected in public and technical sectors such as care, education, engineering and construction. The report explains that targeted recruitment of labour migrants can relieve shortages a little, but it also brings language barriers and a need for specific training. At the same time, extra labour supply raises economic activity and with it the demand for workers, so dependence on migration alone does not solve structural shortages. The report further records that labour migration has historically gone hand in hand with abuses in housing and social provisions, and that some employers still exploit migrants' vulnerability.