The recently completed TNO survey among some 5,000 employers shows that only 2.7% of organizations with more than 50 employees employ one or more status holders. A surprising fact, given the tightness on the labor market.

Please note: this article was translated using a translator app

Wilma Roozenboom, director of the Refugee Talent Hub: “There are 400,000 vacancies in the Netherlands. For example, 50,000 people are needed for the energy transition alone. At the same time, there is an incredible amount of talent on the sidelines. Together with TNO, we wanted to map out to what extent organizations work with status holders – because we believe that status holders can be a valuable factor in reducing the shortage on the labor market.”

 The biennial Employers Survey Labour is a representative study of occupational health and safety policy, productivity and innovation of employers. The TNO study shows that only 2.7% of employers in the Netherlands employ one or more status holders. While more than half of employers experience or expect labour shortages.

 “There is still a world to win,” Roozenboom continues. “Status holders are professionals who happen to be born somewhere else. With their skills and perseverance, they can make a huge contribution to organizations. We know from research that employers with a diverse workforce are more agile and better prepared for the future. Add to that the social value of more people who are self-reliant and the value of having a job, and you have a very clear win-win-win.”

 Gerben Hulsegge, project leader of the WEA and researcher at TNO in the field of inclusive employment, states that most employers with vulnerable groups (which also include status holders, ed.) want to retain them. “Almost a third even want to hire more people from these target groups. In addition, more than 10% of Dutch employers without vulnerable groups are open to hiring people from vulnerable groups. This offers opportunities to place status holders with these two types of employers.”

 Refugee Talent Hub and TNO would like to further explore this research together with the participating organizations.

•  Are you one of the participating organisations and do you belong to the 2.7% mentioned with status holders in employment? Then you can expect an additional short survey from us soon.
•  Were you not a participant in this research but would you like to share your experiences of working with status holders with us (and perhaps with other employers in our network)? Send us your response .