The Dutch battle for highly skilled migrants: policy, implementation and the role of social networks
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59670/ml.v15i4.7Keywords:
highly skilled migrants, highly educated migrants, social capital, migration policy, The NetherlandsAbstract
In recent years a growing competition for talent has emerged among developed nations. Policymakers across North-America, Australia and Europe have implemented targeted migration programs to attract global talent in order to gain the net positive effects associated with skilled migration. Research so far has mainly focused on analyzing such programs in traditional destinations for highly skilled migrants such as the United States, Canada and Australia. In this article we take the Netherlands as a case study of the more recent European involvement in the ‘race for talent’. We first describe how ‘highly skilled’ migrants are categorized in the various skilled migration schemes that exist in the Netherlands. Secondly, by using primary data on highly-skilled migrants who participated in one of these schemes we look at whether the policy measures attracted the intended target group. We conclude that policy measures that favor highly skilled migrants by themselves are not enough to attract talent. Having social capital in the Netherlands as well as the recruiting efforts of Dutch employers are more important in attracting highly skilled migrants. Also, being highly skilled does not necessarily mean that access to the Dutch labor market is without obstacles.
References
Aguilera, M.B. and Massey, D.S. (2003). Social capital and the wages of Mexican mi-grants: New hypotheses and tests. Social Forces, 82(2): 671-701.
Bochove, M. and Engbersen, G. (2015). Beyond cosmopolitanism and expat bubbles: challenging dominant representations of knowledge workers and trailing spouses. Population, Space and Place, 21(4), 295-309
Berkhout, E., Smid, T. and Volkerink, M. (2010). Wat beweegt kennismigranten? Een analyse van concurrentiekracht van Nederland bij het aantrekken van kennismigranten. Amsterdam: SEO.
Bilecen, B. (2012). How social support works among the best and the brightest: Evidence from international PhD students in Germany. Transnational Social Review, 2(2), 139-155.
Campbell, K. and Marsdan, P. (1990). Recruitment and selection processes: the organizational side of job searches. In: Breiger, R. (ed). Social Mobility and Social Structure. New York: Cambridge University Press, 59-79.
Cahuc, P. and Fontaine, F. (2002). On the efficiency of job search with social networks. Institute for the Study of Labour (IZA), IZA Discussion paper series, no. 583.
Curran, S. and Rivero-Fuentes, E. (2003). Engendering migration networks: the case of Mexican migration. Demography, 40(2): 289-307.
Eich-Krom, A. (2013). Twenty-first century trends in highly skilled migration. In: S.J. Gold and S.J. Nawyn (eds.) International Handbook of Migration Studies; NewYork, Routledge, 153-166.
European Migration Network (EMN) (2013). Attracting highly qualified and qualified third country nationals. Synthesis Report.
European Parliament (2010). The Lisbon Strategy 2000-2010: An analysis of the methods used and results achieved. Final Report. Directorate General for Internal Policies, Policy Department A: Economic and Scientific Policy, Employment and Social Affairs. Brussels: European Parliament
Granovetter, M.S. (1973). The strength of weak ties. American Journal of Sociology, (78:6):1360-1380.
Holzer, H. (1987). Hiring procedures in the firm: their economic determinants and outcomes. NBER Working Paper, no. 2185.
Iredale, R. (2001). The migration of professionals: theories and typologies. International Migration, 39(5): 7-26.
Kolb, H. (2010). Emigration, immigration and the Quality of Membership: on the political economy of highly skilled immigration politics. In: G. Menz and A. Caviedes (eds.) Labour Migration in Europe. London, Palgrave MacMillan.
Kulu-Glasgow, I., Schans, D., Smit, M., Vleugel, and M.J., Uitterhoeve, J. (2014). Gezocht: Buitenlands Toptalent. Evaluatie van de Regeling Hoogopgeleiden. Cahier 2014-14. Den Haag: WODC.
Lange T. de (2007). Staat, Markt en Migrant: De Regulering van Arbeidsmigratie naar Nederland, 1945-2006. Den Haag: Boom Juridische Uitgevers.
Massey, D.S., Alarcón, R., Durand, J., and Gonzalez, H. (1987). Return to Aztlan: The Social Process of International Migration from Western Mexico. London: University of California Press.
Obradović, E. (2013). Monitor Kennismigranten: Kwantitatieve Analyse. Rijswijk: INDIAC.
Obradović, E. (2014). Monitor Kennismigranten: Kwalitatieve Analyse. Rijswijk: INDIAC.
OECD (2016). Recruiting Immigrant Workers: The Netherlands 2016. Paris: OECD Publishing.
Papademetriou, D.G. (2012). Internationale migratie, Europa en nabuurschap: Trends, beleidskeuzes, bestuurlijke uitdagingen en een blik op de toekomst. In J. W. Holtslag, M. Kremer and E. Schrijvers (eds.) In Betere Banen? Den Haag: WRR, 39-50.
Salt, J. and Findlay, A. (1989). International migration of highly-skilled manpower: theoretical and development issues. In: R. Appleyard (ed.). The Impact of International Migration on Developing Countries. Paris: OECD
Shachar, A. (2006). The race for talent: highly skilled migrants and competitive immigration regimes. New York University Law Review, (81), April 2006. University Toronto, Legal Studies Research Paper No. 883739.
Thijm, T. and Diepenhorst, D. (2013). Het aantrekken van hooggekwalificeerde en gekwalificeerde arbeidsmigranten: Beleid en Best Practices in Nederland. Rijswijk: INDIAC, NL EMN NCP.
Try, S. (2005). The use of job search strategies among university graduates. The Journal of Socio-Economics. (34), 223–243.
Wright Brown, D. and Konrad, A.M. (2005). Granovetter was right: the importance of weak ties to a contemporary job search. Group and Organisation Management, 26 (4): 434-462.
Yanow, D. (2003). Constructing ‘Race’ and ‘Ethnicity’ in America. Category Making in Public Policy and Administration. NewYork: M.E.Sharp Inc.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
CC Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0
