If you are working in the Netherlands, your job may have directly or indirectly been made available by an international business. In 2017, according to figures from the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, 357 international businesses collectively invested more than 1,67 billion euros in the Dutch economy, creating 12.686 jobs in the Netherlands.

International businesses in the Netherlands

The group Invest In Holland, which consists of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA), the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy agency for foreign investments as well as various regional partners, is responsible for securing international investments.

In 2017, the Invest in Holland group managed to secure investments from names such as Netflix, Merck Performance Materials and Jellice. These businesses were major investors. Netflix created 400 new jobs in Amsterdam, Merck Performance Materials invested 15 million euros in its production facility and Jellice continued to expand its manufacturing factory in Emmen.

The NFIA is in contact with over 200 international companies who are considering a Brexit-related move to the Netherlands. In 2017, 18 companies made this move, creating 483 jobs and investing 19 million euros in the Dutch economy. The European Medicines Agency is not included in this total, but will also be moving to Amsterdam, bringing 900 jobs along with it in 2019.

In previous years, greater investments have been made by international companies; however, these investments did not create as many jobs. In 2016, 1,74 billion euros was invested in the Dutch economy and 11.000 jobs were created. In 2015, even more money was invested, namely 1,87 billion euros, but only 9.300 jobs were created.

The country that created the most jobs in the Netherlands was the US. Slightly more than 2.500 jobs were made available and 110 million euros was invested. European companies collectively created another 2.879 jobs.

Favourable investment climate in the Netherlands

Minister of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy, Eric Wiebes, is pleased with the figures from last year, as these show that the Netherlands is profiting from its favourable investment climate. In saying, “1,4 million Dutch people have a job, be it directly or indirectly, thanks to these businesses”, Wiebes expressed the importance of international companies for the Netherlands.