Immigrants earn less than their Dutch colleagues
In the media image: Darrel Louise Almanzor on Unsplash
A recent study shows that immigrants in the Netherlands earn 15 per cent less on average than their colleagues without a migrant background. Olaf van Vliet, Professor of Economics, comments on this pay gap in ‘de Volkskrant’ newspaper.
In an international study, published in science journal Nature, sociologists from nine different countries, including the Netherlands, concluded that immigrants earn less on average than people without a migration background – even when they are doing the same work. Here in the Netherlands, the average hourly wage of immigrants is 15 per cent lower. In the case of immigrants from Africa and the Middle East the difference can be as high as 25 per cent.
According to the professor, the new study offers starting points for policy and touches on a greater problem. 'So far, the public debate has mainly focused on equal pay, but this study shows that a much larger part of the pay gap can be explained by migrants being less likely to move on to higher-paid jobs. If you want to tackle that, you have to look at hiring policies for more senior positions, among other things.'
More information?
Read the full article in de Volkskrant (€, in Dutch)