Five percent of Dutch want to move abroad

14 January 2008

TILBURG – About one in twenty Dutch people are considering moving abroad within the coming five years, this is more or less in line with figures in other European countries.

This has emerged from a study by the Organisation for Strategic Labour Market Research (OSA) at the University of Tilburg. Just as in other European countries, the willingness of the Dutch to move abroad is greatest among students, average among the highly educated, and lower among those with a low level of education.

Significantly more residents of new EU member states have plans to move. Especially many Poles, Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians say they plan to leave their homelands within five years. The percentage in these countries is 10 percent or more. Hopes of higher wages play a role in this, though in Eastern Europe the move to a more prosperous country is also seen as an investment in knowledge and skills. Most of the people planning a move are highly qualified workers.

Subject: Dutch news