In just the first six months of 2024, the Employee Insurance Agency (UWV) has received 18.800 applications from Dutch companies wanting to bring non-EU workers into the Netherlands to fill job vacancies. 

Increase in applications for non-EU workers in the Netherlands

For the whole of 2023, the UWV received 20.900 applications. This is just 2.000 more than what the Dutch organisation has received for the first half of 2024.  

This comes after the Netherlands saw a drop in skilled worker migration in 2023. With Statistics Netherlands (CBS) reporting that there are 450.000 open job vacancies, a shortage in skilled workers in some job sectors could be driving the increase in applications with UWV. 

Applications to hire asylum seekers have also risen this year, as companies find it difficult to find staff in the Netherlands. There were 5.600 applications to hire asylum seekers from January to June of 2024, compared to the 2.000 for the entire previous year.

UWV struggling to process large number of applications

Companies in the Netherlands that hire employees from outside the EU are required to apply for a work permit from the UWV. This includes workers who are from the United Kingdom, Switzerland, China, India and other countries further abroad. 

The large number of applications for non-EU citizens to work in the Netherlands means that the UWV has often struggled to process them within the usual five-week deadline. The job agency has warned employers of the delay.

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