Why are they all going? Lesley Thomas looks at why so many Dutch people are emigrating and seeking a better future abroad.
Thousands of Dutch people are packing up and leaving every year In 2004 almost 50,000 people born in the Netherlands decided to leave and live in a foreign country. Since 1954, the number of emigrants has never been so high. The Dutch economy, with the exception of the early 1980s, has never been so poor since 1954.
The Netherlands is undergoing the longest period of stagnation in two generations, according to the latest statistics from the CPB Netherlands Bureau for Economic Policy Analysis.
The newest emigration wave reflects the one in the 1950s. The economies of the past five years and mid-1950s resemble each other as well. In the 1960s due to a shortage of labour, the Netherlands changed from an emigration to an immigration country, according to the report "Hoogste aantal emigranten sinds 1954" by Statistics Netherlands. As of 2004, the Netherlands became an emigration country once again.
Grant King, a founder of the Migration Bureau Consulting Group, says there has been a doubling in the last year alone in the number of inquiries from Dutch people about emigrating to New Zealand, Australia and Canada.
Expat 2005, a fair for people wishing to enter or leave the Netherlands, attracted 5,000 visitors on March 11 and 12. A large percentage were Dutch people thinking of emigrating.
"There are push and pull factors at play here: people worry about the Dutch economy and job security here, while they see the economies in New Zealand, Australia and Canada are booming," says King.
The hardening of attitudes in the Netherlands is also a factor, he says, but the underlying issue is often the economic question.
King says it is striking that over 90 percent of the prospective clients who contact its European office in Amsterdam have visited the target emigration countries at least once. Five years ago this figure was only 50 percent, showing prospective emigrants know far more these days about their destinations.
Besides the economy and better work opportunities elsewhere, another major reason for leaving the Netherlands has to do with having a loved one outside the country. A more favourable housing market as well as lower tax rates in other countries also play a role in the latest exodus.
Frans Buysse, Managing Director of Buysse Immigration Consultancy, sees the major reason for leaving as the social climate in the Netherlands.
Active in the field of migration since 1986, Frans explains that the social and environmental reasons for leaving Holland have to do with an overcrowding and overpopulation and too much bureaucracy. In addition, there is the perception that the country is becoming more violent and the citizens less tolerant towards others.
As of 2004, the Netherlands became an emigration country once again Shocking incidents such as the murders of filmmaker Theo van Gogh in November 2004 and populist politician Pim Fortuyn in May 2002 further intensify the uneasy feelings prospective emigrants already have about Dutch society.
Buysse Immigration Consultancy specialises in emigration to Canada, Australia, the US and New Zealand. The Dutch are attracted by the abundance of nature in these countries, as well as the open and sincere attitude of the people living in these three countries. The Dutch appreciate the courteous behaviour of New Zealanders as well.
Personal coach and trainer, Henri van Amerongen explains that the Dutch are stressed out and nourish the idea that another country will solve all their problems.
He has noticed that burnout starts at an even earlier age than years ago, thirty instead of forty years of age.
Henri compares Dutch life with rats living in a crowded space. He explains that "we are all cooped up in the Netherlands". The Dutch are nostalgic about the past, a time when Holland is perceived as a friendlier place, with tight-knit communities, in which neighbours cared about and helped one another.
Henri advises an emigrant to begin with his emotions. "People approach emigration too easily. Closure in your birth country is important before you consider emigrating".
Personal coach Henri van Amerongen is moving to Canada He explains that if you leave your emotions for later, that this is when it goes wrong. You make a major decision when you go somewhere else to live. Henri acts as a personal coach for those who want to deal with their emotions first before considering moving.
Henri uses Bert Hellinger's family therapy technique to go back to your family roots, to see if something from your past is inhibiting you from emigrating or actually stimulating you to emigrate.
You might, for instance, want to escape from a personal trait which you have inherited from your family and are struggling with, and decide to move to another country. Through counselling, you might solve your problems and decide to remain in the country where you are living.
On the other hand, the outcome of the therapy could just as well be that you should leave the country. In 2006 Henri plans to move with his wife to a beautiful island off the coast of Canada, Vancouver Island. He is looking forward to his large house perched on an island rock and living nearby friendly and open Canadians.
King, in contrast, notes that prospective emigrants are highly motivated and are aware that the process can be a lengthy one.
In 2003 more than 25,000 born Dutch chose to swap the Netherlands for another country.
According to Statistics Netherlands, the top emigration countries in 2003 for people born in the Netherlands were: Belgium (7,150), Germany (6,218), the UK (3,037), the Dutch Antilles/Aruba (2,433), Spain (2,101), France (2,057), the US (1,912), Australia (896) and Canada (719).
Closure in your birth country is important before you consider emigrating The current Dutch government is not stimulating the present Dutch exodus, but its tough immigration measures and regulations have helped decrease the number of immigrants coming into the country as of 2002.
In 1952 when more than 50,000 Dutch sought a new life in one of these countries, emigration was encouraged as well as financially backed by the Dutch government. Out of fear for overpopulation and unemployment in the 1950’s, 33,000 Dutch left annually for Australia, Canada, the US, New Zealand and South Africa, says Statistics Netherlands.
Because of lower immigration and higher emigration, and the fact that the post-war "baby boomers" will soon start leaving the work force, the supply side of the labour market is set to eventually shrink.
This means that the demand for more labour will increase since the employers are expected to make more profits, which, in turn, means production will increase and companies will start investing again. According to the CPB, unemployment will peak this year and then start declining. In 2006, it is expected that the slow-moving economy will grow by more than two percent, bringing an end to a five-year period of stagnation.
The question is whether emigration will come to a halt or will the Dutch social climate continue to spur the Dutch to move elsewhere?
22 March 2005
[Copyright Expatica 2005]
Subject: Life in the Netherlands, emigration from the Netherlands
