Immigrant Issue in the Netherlands
(Summary)
2007/04/July by Shoji Tsumura
The history of immigration to the Netherlands after WWⅡcan divide three waves. The first wave was from 1948 to 1962. Many people came from Indonesia and South Malaccan Islands to the Netherlands when Indonesia became independent of it. The number of immigrant was about 300,000 people, and a lot of soldier and their family was included among it. The second wave was among 1960s. In this decade, the Dutch government concluded the agreement of employment with Mediterranean countries in order to compensate the lack of labor force in the Netherlands. As a result, particularly, people from Turkey and Morocco entered and most of the people decided to resident in the Netherlands after the economy was in a recession. The third wave was in 1975, when Surinam became independent of the Netherlands. Before independence many people left Surinam which was a developing country and decided the Netherlands as a new home. I, especially, have taken notice of the people from Turkey and Morocco because their culture, religious, values, and lifestyle are very different from those of Dutch. Above all, their religious is Islam and in recent years there were some problems with European people. That is why I'm interested in this issue.
In the Netherlands, what problem has happened? People from Turkey and Morocco couldn't have got their own stable jobs since the Dutch economy was depression. It caused not only the recession but also the lack of special skills. This problem is connected with education. These children cannot take moderate education to acquire special skill and knowledge due to their poverty and the attitude of their parents. The rate of the graduation from secondary school is 60% of these children and 80% of Dutch children. That is, what these children don't take moderate education would lead to their unemployment.
On the other hands, what solutions have been taken by the government? The government has particularly taken some measures toward new comers. New comers have to take 600 hours education about language and jobs, if not, they couldn't take appropriate social welfare. For unemployment problem the government has recommended the immigrants to come into the working by Polder Model, work-sharing system. As a result, the rate of unemployment has been recovering.
Questions and Answers Session
This is a summary of the Q&A on the last presentation by Mr. Tsumura.
Prepared by Yamano Chiemi
Q: Was there a social change after the murder of the film producer?
A: After this incident, it was interpreted that the integration policy in the Netherlands had faild. By this time, the government policy toward immigrants shifts to restrict policy. So, the government limits new commers, but doesn't reject them completely.
Q: What are the mail industry in the Netherlands?
A: Heavy industries.
Q: What do you mean by "moderate" social welfare policy?
A: One of the reasons why immigrants in the Netherlands do not go back to there home country is because if they are in the Netherlands, they can get social welfare.
Q: What are the charateristics of the Netherlands' policy toward immigrants compared with other countries?
A: The Netherlands government is taking tolerant policy to all subjects, but this attitude is changing. (Other European countries also think they are tolerant, humane, and generous.
The present writer outlined the issue of immigrants in the Netherlands and the policy conducted by the government to deal with the striking problem caused by the influx of those settlers. He made much of the field of employment and education as the remarkable points he should allude. The scope of his study is really understandable and beneficial. However, if I can be allowed to add my thought, I supposed that highlighting some social grounds could make his study more intriguing. For instance, I reckon it is indispensable to study the process of the integration into the local society (or otherwise, whether the immigrants and the posterity have been forming their secluded communities.) and the relation between immigrants and the locals. Moreover, it could reveal much more information of the country to survey the culture of these immigrants whose background is quiet diverse, and the connection with their homes. As for Turkish immigrants in Germany, a lot of studies have been done and some of them diagnose the cultural impact brought about by these new comers and the mutation of their identities seen through the culture, as time goes by. Therefore, this sort of view might be able to disclose more accurate feature of the Immigrants in the Netherlands.
As far as I saw and experienced during my one-month stay in Amsterdam and Utrecht, I sensed there is less decisive distinction between the immigrants and the locals, rather than, for example, The United States. However, my transient stay did not work enough, so I would like to deepen knowledge from his study.
by Yuki Miyagaki
I thought his presentation was very clear and easy to follow. Especially, Slides were worked out with a lot of charts, so they helped me to understand the subject well.
by U4 Rika Kobata