Immigrant bosses 'must provide placements'

30 January 2006

AMSTERDAM — Business people from non-native Dutch backgrounds – described as allochtonen in Dutch – must make work placements available to young allochtonen, Social Affairs Minister Art Jan de Geus said on Monday.

The former trade union leader made his statement at the launch of a new Turkish business association in Rotterdam. He said he hoped businesses run by members of the Turkish community will have created 200 work placements by the end of the year.

The minister said his call applied to all business people – non-native Dutch (allochtoon) and Dutch (autochtonen). “There are too few work placements in the Netherlands, and non-native Dutch students in particular have difficulties in finding a place,” De Geus said.

It would be a bonus if they could be trained with a non-native Dutch business, according to the minister. Companies, he said, would strengthen the connection with their client base and have a better opportunity to find young talent.

Giving young non-native Dutch people work experience would also give them better prospects for the future.

There have been numerous complaints in recent years that native Dutch business people are reluctant to take on non-native Dutch trainees. This has been tested.

On more than one occasion a person with a non-native Dutch name has failed to be called for an interview. But when the same person applied using a “Dutch name”, companies are only to willing to consider him or her for a placement.

Immigration and Integration Minister Rita Verdonk suggested earlier this month that non-native Dutch people should complain more if they felt discriminated against.

Some local authorities have come up with a more proactive approach, with applications submitted without the person’s name or hint of their ethnic identity.

Subject: Dutch news

Immigrant bosses ‘must provide placements’