Dutch tech companies sound alarm over gov’t plans to reduce skilled migration

Dutch tech companies have raised concerns as the caretaker government continues to work on plans to introduce stricter rules for the highly skilled migrant scheme. The labour market in the Netherlands is already tight, and if fewer skilled workers come to the Netherlands, more companies could face staff shortages.

Plans to limit number of highly skilled migrants in the Netherlands

In 2025, the caretaker government announced plans to reduce migration to the Netherlands by introducing stricter rules for the highly skilled migrant scheme. The new regulations would increase the salary requirements for the scheme while also changing rules for obtaining permits, making it more difficult for companies to exploit the scheme and low-wage migrants.

Currently, highly skilled migrants under the age of 30 need a minimum income of 4.171 euros per month, equivalent to the average gross income in the Netherlands. The new plans would increase this by 1,1 times to put it on par with Blue Card Holders who have recently graduated, amounting to a raise of several hundred euros. 

The Ministry of Social Affairs is currently working on the plans, with the aim of having a more concrete outline of the changes to the scheme by the third quarter of this year.

Dutch companies concerned about reducing labour migration

Figures from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) showed that in 2024, skilled labour migration saw a significant drop. While 16.000 skilled migrants made the move to the Netherlands for work, this was 26 percent lower than the year before. 

These workers fill jobs as IT specialists or software developers, roles that companies struggle to fill in the Netherlands due to the lack of workers. This is why most Dutch tech companies are not enthusiastic about the government’s plans.

“We're still searching for talent worldwide," Michiel Muller, CEO of online supermarket site Picnic, told NU.nl. "So it's not wise to put a stop to the influx of knowledge migrants. We need them, and we already have a significant shortage of people." 

Chip machine manufacturer ASML employs many highly skilled workers and is waiting to see what the final plans will be. Other companies such as Just Eat Takeaway, Bol.com, Marktplaats and Booking.com are concerned about the plans as they need researchers, data scientists, and product and software developers, among others, which are difficult to find in the Netherlands.

"Innovative tech talent is essential for us to compete with international players. Because expertise in software, data, and product development is scarce in the Netherlands and Europe, we also recruit knowledge migrants for these types of positions," the companies told NU.nl.

Criticism within Dutch government about plans

Not only are companies against the proposed plans, but parties within the House of Representatives (Tweede Kamer) themselves have been critical. D66 and VVD, which are part of the potential rare minority government, are worried about the effects the plans could have for businesses.

According to the CEO of labour market researcher Intelligence Group, Geert-Jan Waasdorp, the proposed measures need adjustments. "The government wants to make it more expensive for companies to recruit knowledge migrants, but that's not very effective. Large corporations already pay a lot for talent; money is not an issue there."

Instead, Waasdorp believes the long-term needs of the labour market need to be considered. "We need these knowledge migrants partly to address the tight labour market. But it's the easiest way," he explains. "The government should therefore encourage employers to invest. For every knowledge migrant, you train a person for the same position. That person can then take over the tasks in two years."