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WORKING IN HOLLAND

	Population :	15.5 million
	Area :	41 526 square km
	Capital :	Amsterdam
	Main cities :	The Hague, Rotterdam, Utrechtg

1999 is a good year for job-hunting in Netherlands. The Polder model is bearing fruit, the Dutch employement engine is running at full speed and, if the signs do not deceive us, this trend is set to continue. In 1997, 150,000 extra jobs were created. Expected growth in 1998 is much the same, and the forecast is for continuing economic growth in 1999 to create 140,000 extra jobs.

Unemployment amongst the highly qualified in the Netherlands is lower than for the population of working age as a whole. Just less than five percent of the one and half million highly qualified are looking for a job, while the overall unemployment rate is six percent. For starters on the labour market, it is important to note that school leavers, including students, are the main beneficiaries. Unemployment amongst young people has more than halved in recent years.

In some sectors of business, the labour market is already very tight, as the demand for staff is exceeding the supply. The most notable example is the IT sector. Software companies, computer firms and the large banks and telecommunications companies are leaving no stone unturned to provide for their growing need for staff. IT companies pride themselves on also recruiting abroad, so this industry provides promising opportunities for foreign graduates who wish to work in the Netherlands.

Engineering is the second industry where deficits have arisen. The demand for engineers is expected to rise in the next few years. For the first time in ages, employment in Dutch industry, always an important area for engineers, is growing. The large infrastructure projects on the agenda are leading to increased demand for civil engineers. The government is setting the Netherlands to work, so road-building and hydraulics engineers can roll up their sleeves and pitch in.

This growing demand for engineers contrasts with the relatively small number of Dutch students choosing to study technology and science. Industry and the government are seriously worried about this, while universities and colleges do their best to attract more students to these courses. Qualified engineers from abroad are welcomed with open arms.

Large Dutch companies are busy internationalising in double quick time. This also offers opportunities for those who want to work in the Netherlands, as these companies want their international character to be reflected in their workforce. High-flyers are, however, often recruited in the country where the company has a foreign branch and then come to the Netherlands for a shorter or longer period of time.

Vacancies arise not only when new jobs are created but also when people change jobs. About 170,000 vacancies arise every quarter, a large proportion of which are advertised in newspapers and weeklies. For highly-qualified job-seekers, the Saturday editions of de Volkskrant, het NRC Handelsblad, de Telegraaf and het Algemeen Dagblad are a rich source of vacancies, as well as the weekly Intermediair.

Companies do not only recruit via the newspapers. They also introduce themselves at universities and colleges at careers fairs. They make their initial contacts here and reinforce their reputation. A good image must lead to a sufficient stream of speculative applications. For recent graduates, such a speculative application is a very useful way to get a foot in the door. Foreign applicants can also use this route.

'Temping' work is much more common in the Netherlands than in most other countries. It is very often a stepping-stone to a permanent position within a company. This also applies more and more to highly-qualified job seekers. One in five college graduates make their initial contact with companies in this way.

Starting salaries for highly-qualified employees in the Netherlands are relatively low and have risen significantly more slowly than for other workers. Fifty percent of new university graduates starting at large companies earned between NLG 45,600 and NLG 59,500 guilders in 1997. A quarter earned less and a quarter earned more. Of college graduates, fifty percent earned between NLG 41,200 and NLG 51,000.

As new graduates often have to prove their worth, they are often given a temporary contract to start off with, perhaps for one year. Employers see this as an extended probationary period.

Internet

There is a Dutch equivalent of Success and Career called " Intermediair Jaarboek " www.bpa.nl/intermediair