Once you have a taste of the Dutch way of life, it’s hard to give it up. It’s no wonder international students are choosing to stay on and work in the Netherlands.
The number of international students studying in the Netherlands has been increasing yearly. After scrambling to find somewhere to stay and pushing through crowded lecture halls, the question is: how many stick around?
Well, based on figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS), 32% of international students who graduated in the 2018-2019 academic year had a job a year later.
This is about 12% more than graduates in previous years. We imagine once they found out about borrelen at work, they jumped at the idea of working in the Netherlands. 🍻
Staying for work, but only in some sectors
Dutch Education Minister Robbert Dijkgraaf thinks these figures are good news. “We desperately need that international talent, especially in shortage sectors such as technology and IT,” he tells the NOS.
“The CBS research shows that relatively many students go to work in those sectors.”
@dutchreview Happy Tuesday allemaal! If you’re already feeling the burn of the working week, here’s a reminder that it’s not all bad – if you work in the Netherlands, of course. 😉 Dont have a Dutch job (yet)? Head over to our pals at @Undutchables Recruitment ♬ original sound – DutchReview
Students with diplomas in services (communication, translation, healthcare), computer science, education or technology are more likely to stay and work in the Netherlands after their studies. They usually find jobs within a year.
Less than a third of graduates of management, business and human resources, or psychology stay on.
Bonding with the Netherlands
“Being able to get a job is one of the factors that increases the chance of international graduates staying in the Netherlands,” says Dijkgraaf.
READ MORE | ‘Don’t come to the Netherlands’: here’s how universities are limiting international students
“I want to increase the chance of them staying by strengthening the bond of international students with the Netherlands.”
How? By having more university lectures in Dutch — because if students learn the language, it will increase the likeliness that graduates stay after their studies are complete.
READ MORE | 7 ways a Dutch job is different
Other reasons graduates stay include the high level of English in the country and the good work culture.
See what we were saying about borrelen? But we’re sure the lack of hierarchy didn’t hurt either. 😉
What do you think of the Dutch work environment? Tell us in the comments!