The Netherlands, the destination of choice for South African emigrants
Ir Olav's Globetrotters unpacks the attractive opportunities for local professionals at the Emigration Expo!
Hilversum – NETHERLANDS, July 2024: More and more South Africans are choosing the Netherlands as their destination of choice when emigrating.
Statistics from the South African government indicate that the Netherlands was among the top ten countries South Africans chose to move to in 2020, with more than 17,500 people relocating. This number has increased dramatically over the last 20 years – in 2000, 10,500 people immigrated to the Netherlands.
But why do so many South Africans make the Netherlands their home?
Ir Olav's Globetrotters managing partner Sonja Poortman says that besides the attractive work/life balance Dutch employees enjoy, South Africans can take advantage of the numerous work opportunities in the Netherlands. In fact, Dutch companies are clamouring to fill their positions with highly skilled workers from South Africa in a bid to ease pressure on the labour market.
The Dutch labour market is under immense pressure, having recently experienced the tenth consecutive quarter with more jobs than workers. In the first quarter of 2024, there were 110 vacancies for every 100 unemployed. This labour market pressure has seen Dutch companies looking to South Africans to fill vacancies in fields such as engineering and ICT.
The number of Highly Skilled Migrants who immigrated to the Netherlands from South Africa more than doubled year-on-year, from 900 in 2021 to 1860 in 2022, according to the Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (CBS).
Unpacking the vast opportunities the Netherlands has to offer South Africans, Ir Olav's Globetrotters team will be at the Emigration Expo at the Capital Menlyn Maine in Pretoria on 23 and 24 August 2024.
Ir Olav's Globetrotters team has more than 30 years of combined experience in international recruiting. The company has assisted more than 400 highly skilled South Africans to relocate and find employment and has a host of useful tools available, including an e-book titled "Wanna Go Dutch?". The digital guide has been written specifically for South Africans and offers essential tips to make your move easier, as well as invaluable advice for settling into your new life in the Netherlands.
"'Wanna Go Dutch?' is an all-in-one resource that unpacks every aspect of relocating to the Netherlands, based on the experience of hundreds of South Africans and the expertise of the Ir Olav's Globetrotters team," said Poortman.
"It provides useful information about relocating tips and personal stories from our candidates who've gone through the relocation process. Instead of navigating the hundreds of online and social communities where people ask for advice, now you can have it all in one compact form at your fingertips."