Struggling for a proper job: recent immigrants in the Netherlands

This article concerns the employment performance of recent immigrants in the Netherlands. The analysis shows different patterns of adjustment in the Dutch labour market for Western and non-Western immigrants. The entry of Western immigrants into the labour market follows a smooth pattern, while non-Western immigrants have relatively low employment and relatively high unemployment upon arrival. In addition, they often start with semi-skilled or unskilled jobs. The labour market position of non-Western immigrants improves significantly over time. However, a considerable proportion of the disadvantages remains and seems to be persistent over time. Among non-Western immigrants, especially the Turks and Moroccans seem to face difficulties in the labour market, while the Surinamese and Antilleans are able to compensate for a large part of their substantial initial disadvantage. The relative success of the last group is probably a result of their familiarity with Dutch society.