Hiring international graduates benefits Dutch businesses, study finds

Businesses in the Netherlands see more advantages than disadvantages when they hire international graduates from Dutch universities, a study has revealed. Companies benefit from diversity, innovation, and specialised knowledge brought by international staff. 

Clear advantages to hiring international graduates in the Netherlands

With worker shortages providing more work opportunities for internationals in the Dutch labour market, a rising number of students remain in the Netherlands after graduating. The Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education, Nuffic, conducted a survey of 382 companies in the Netherlands to gauge employers' attitudes towards hiring international graduates. 

Almost eight out of 10 businesses saw more advantages than disadvantages to having internationals in the workplace. Internationals who have graduated from a Dutch university were found to be even more beneficial to companies, as their diplomas already meet Dutch standards and they are already familiar with the country’s culture. 

"International graduates bring different perspectives to the organisation, they bring personal qualities, and possess specialised knowledge,” lead researcher Elli Thravalou explained in a press release. “New perspectives often help companies innovate. This way, international employees can make a significant contribution to a company's overall success."

Benefit outweighs challenge of having international workers

While there are a lot of positives to having internationals on the payroll, companies couldn’t deny that there were also some hurdles. The biggest challenge involved language barriers, with three in 10 employers experiencing problems with miscommunication of instructions, for example. “They worry that this will hinder the work. Furthermore, according to employers, internationals miss out on some of the social interactions at work because they don't have a good command of the language.”

Companies also found the administrative burden of hiring internationals, especially those from outside the European Union, to be another disadvantage. “Employers find the work permit procedure for this group complicated, expensive, and time-consuming,” said Thravlou. Despite this, the majority of employers think the positives outweigh the negatives.

Employers would like the government to provide more support with administrative tasks for hiring international students and believe that educational institutions should do more to prepare international students for jobs in the Netherlands, such as offering Dutch courses and internship programs. 

More institutes, such as the Vrije Universiteit in Amsterdam, are offering basic Dutch courses, but experts warn employers not to have high expectations. "International students have to combine learning a foreign language with all the other challenges they face in a foreign country,” said VU policy advisor Hayke Everwijn. “Moreover, young people easily switch to English; while this doesn't help them master Dutch, it does help them collaborate and build social cohesion."