Non-European graduates less likely to find work in the Netherlands
By Simone Jacobs
Figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) have shown that graduates of vocational education programmes (MBO) with non-European backgrounds have a harder time finding jobs in the Netherlands.
International graduates struggle more to find jobs in the Netherlands than locals
Looking at the 2021/22 academic year, a report by CBS noted that of the students who completed MBO programmes at institutions in the Netherlands, only 82 percent of non-European graduates were employed a year later. Second-generation graduates (those born in the Netherlands with one or both parents born outside Europe) had a slightly easier time finding work, at 85 percent.
However, both these figures are lower than the average; 92 percent of all MBO graduates had jobs within a year. Students with a Dutch origin were most likely to be employed after graduation at a rate of 94 percent.
According to CBS, this gap is not as wide at university education (WO) and higher professional education (HBO) levels. 92 percent of the second-generation graduates in these categories were employed after a year, compared to the 95 percent overall.
Non-European students more likely to apply for internships
An internship or apprenticeship is a mandatory part of an MBO. Almost 83 percent of graduates from non-European backgrounds had to apply for an internship or apprenticeship in 2024 - this is higher than the average of 75 percent for all MBO graduates.
25 percent of all MBO graduates did not need to apply for internships or work-study programmes because they already found a job or managed to get into such a programme due to connections. 8 percent of graduates said they had to apply for an internship seven or more times - this was more common among international graduates, especially the second generation (14 percent).
Despite more challenges for graduates with foreign backgrounds, a rising number of international students stay in the Netherlands after graduating, as there are many opportunities in the Dutch labour market. Indeed, the worker shortage means that the majority of businesses do see the advantages of hiring international graduates and are hiring them more regularly.
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Editor for the Netherlands at IamExpat Media. Simone studied Genetics and Zoology at the University of Pretoria in South Africa before moving to the Netherlands, where she has been working as a writer and editor since 2022. One thing she loves more than creating content is consuming it, mainly by reading books by the dozen. Other than being a book dragon, she is also a nature lover and enjoys hiking and animal training. Read more