Parties want fewer migrant workers, but without harming the economy
While the issue of asylum dominates electoral discussions, the attention of Dutch political parties has shifted to another sensitive issue — labor migration. There is increasing agreement among parties on the need to reduce the number of migrant workers in the country, despite the difficulty of finding a way to achieve this without harming the national economy.
The exact number of migrant workers in the Netherlands is unknown, but estimates range from 700,000 to over a million workers. Their presence has caused additional pressure on an already crowded housing market, increased school overcrowding, and deterioration in some neighborhoods. While most parties agree that highly educated migrants are an important addition to the economy, the greater concern focuses on low-income workers in sectors such as logistics, greenhouse agriculture, and the meat industry.
A number of political parties — including GroenLinks-PvdA, D66, NSC, SP, Denk, the Animal Party, and Volt — propose raising the minimum wage to make low-income jobs less attractive to employers, in an attempt to reduce reliance on migrant workers. In contrast, parties like VVD, CDA, and ChristenUnie advocate for investment in automation and robotics as a gradual alternative to foreign labor. VVD and JA21 believe that the government should encourage unemployed Dutch citizens to take these jobs.
The other proposals vary among the parties. GroenLinks-PvdA, CDA, CU, SP, Denk, and SGP want to require employers to provide language lessons for migrant workers. Meanwhile, VVD and JA21 call for the deportation of homeless or problematic migrants, while the Animal Party seeks to ban the employment of foreigners in slaughterhouses. The Forum for Democracy party proposes a 'green card' system for migrants who are 'culturally compatible' with the Netherlands, and other parties like VVD and D66 demand improvements to the registration and monitoring system for migrant workers.
But business leaders warn of serious economic consequences. Remco Buijman from the organization Nederland Distributieland says that a significant increase in wages could drive distribution centers to move abroad, leading to disruptions in logistics and delays in deliveries. The greenhouse agriculture industry shares the same concerns, as Quincy van Baanisiet from Glastuinbouw Nederland warns that restricting foreign labor could threaten Dutch food security. He said, 'We are working on automation, but we still rely on migrant workers at the moment.'
Economist Olaf van Vliet from Leiden University pointed out that the decision is ultimately political. He said, "Migrant workers benefit employers, but consumers benefit as well," explaining that food prices like tomatoes could rise significantly if migrants stop working in their harvest. However, he acknowledged the social costs such as pressure on the housing market and infrastructure. Although previous governments avoided imposing strict restrictions for fear of the economic impact, this election campaign shows an unprecedented political willingness to directly address the issue of labor migration.