Mon, 20 May 2013 14:47:18 +0200 Mon, 20 May 2013 14:47:18 +0200 ContentFeeder 2.0
An international oriented company is constantly in need of qualified multilingual personnel. This career portal which is connected to Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social and professional networks allows your company to place their multilingual vacancies and to select directly their candidates. But what’s more important, you have access to all around information on the candidates including, their references, interests, groups they are associated with, and much more. It is a very unique way to select your own staff and to promote your company within professional circles.

Together Abroad de Vacaturebank voor meertalig talent

Bekijk hier onze Internationale vacatures...]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 00:20:03 +0200
An international oriented company is constantly in need of qualified multilingual personnel. This career portal which is connected to Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social and professional networks allows your company to place their multilingual vacancies and to select directly their candidates. But what’s more important, you have access to all around information on the candidates including, their references, interests, groups they are associated with, and much more. It is a very unique way to select your own staff and to promote your company within professional circles.

Together Abroad de Vacaturebank voor meertalig talent in Nederland

Bekijk hier onze...]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 00:16:47 +0200
If you want to come and work in the Netherlands, you probably have many questions. What are the legal criteria to be able to work in the Netherlands? How do you do get a visa? Are you allowed to work in the Netherlands?
Together Abroad Jobboard informs about all these questions.

In order to be able to work in this country you should have a valid:

Visa and work permit
BSN number
WORK PERMIT
If you have a nationality of a EU country, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, you don't need to have a visa/residence...]]> Thu, 16 May 2013 00:09:05 +0200
By: TOGETHER ABROAD 15-05-2013 11:55 PM
Categories: Employment news,
IT JOBS NETHERLANDS

Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all ICT JOBS here...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:58:47 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all IT JOBS here...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:55:19 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all MARKETING vacancies here...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:52:18 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all FINANCE vacancies here ...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:50:11 +0200 RUSSIAN SPEAKING JOBS IN HOLLAND | THE NETHERLANDS

Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all RUSSIAN vacancies here
...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:43:36 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all FINNISH vacancies here ...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:41:54 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all SWEDISH vacancies here
...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:39:30 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all DANISH vacancies here...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:37:52 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all ITALIAN vacancies here ...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:35:18 +0200
Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all SPANISH vacancies here
...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:33:45 +0200 GERMAN SPEAKING JOBS IN HOLLAND | THE NETHERLANDS

Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all GERMAN vacancies here...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:31:38 +0200 FRENCH SPEAKING JOBS IN HOLLAND | THE NETHERLANDS

Living in the Netherlands and not sure where and how to work? Need a career change? Feel unfamiliar with the rules and regulations of employment?
If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.

Check out all FRENCH vacancies here...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:29:35 +0200
Voor professionals in het bedrijfsleven en bij de overheid
Bent u een zakelijke professional? Zoekt u een cursus Engels? Bent u op zoek naar een effectieve taalles om goed te presenteren? Of wilt u het vakjargon ook in het Frans, Duits, Spaans leren spreken? Dan is Language Partners het juiste taleninstituut voor u. Bij ons geen schoolse aanpak, maar zakelijke, branchegerichte trainingen die in alle opzichten ‘always a pleasure’ zijn. Logisch. Alleen bij cursisten die met plezier een taal leren beklijft de lesstof.

Maatwerk: Learn as you please
Samen met u kiezen we de trainingsvormen, die ’t best...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:18:53 +0200
For professionals in trade and industry and government
Are you a business professional? Are you looking for an English course? Do you want effective language lessons to help you give good presentations? Or do you want to learn to use professional jargon in French, German or Spanish? If so, Language Partners is the right language institute for you. With our informal approach, we offer business, sector-oriented training that is in all respects ‘always a pleasure’. This is crucially important as learning material only sinks in when students learn a language within a pleasurable environment.

Customised: learn as...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:15:01 +0200
WHY THIS CAREER FAIR?
Although hard to imagine in the current economic climate, particularly with the growing unemployment rate in the Netherlands, the shortage in the skilled and highly-educated workforces is expected to grow in the coming year(s). With this in mind, Expatica & Together Abroad introduce the International Career Fair, a unique opportunity for organisations to showcase themselves and meet hundreds of job seekers.
All in one day!

FEATURES INTERNATIONAL CAREER FAIR 2013
The exhibition is ideal for international organisations in thenine ‘top industries’ as well agencies seeking to recruit highly-educated multilingual workforce in the...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 23:04:05 +0200 8.2 percent in the Dutch labour force unemployed in April
Unemployment rate higher among men in the last few months

Number of WW benefits unchanged
According to the latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands, seasonally adjusted unemployment increased by 7 thousand in April 2013 to reach 650 thousand.
Figures published by the Institute for Implementation of Employees’ Insurances (UWV) show that the number of unemployment (WW) benefits was 380 thousand in April, the same as in March.

Unemployment rate at 8.2 percent
The unemployment rate increased further in April to 8.2 percent. The monthly increase over the...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 22:41:30 +0200 Fewer than 100 thousand vacancies by the end of March

Number of vacancies down by 5 thousand
Amount of vacancies substantially down in health care and welfare sector
According to the latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands, there were 97 thousand unfilled job vacancies by the end of March, i.e. 5 thousand down from the previous quarter. The figure is adjusted for seasonal variation. The downward trend thus continues and has reached the lowest level in ten years.

The number of vacancies declined across the board, but most - by 2 thousand to...]]> Wed, 15 May 2013 22:38:33 +0200

Starting your own business in the Netherlands

Following a successfull networking contact with the Chamber of Commerce The Hague Together Abroad endorses the seminar Starting your own business. It is a seminar for people who are thinking about starting their own business in the Netherlands. It is English Spoken. You can ask questions and during and after the seminar you can increase your network. For fulltime or parttime starting entrepreneurs, whether your idea is a (web)shop, to provide a service or you want to go international you are very welcome.

Date: May 23th
Time: 13.30-17.30 hrs
Price: € 35,00
Location: Chamber of...]]> Fri, 10 May 2013 16:19:44 +0200

Introduction to the Netherlands“What makes the Dutch Dutch?”

For Who? For newly arrived internationals (expats and expat partners) to give them a head start when settling into Dutch society. Aimed at people who want to make the best of their stay in the Netherlands and who want to get to grips with the Dutch quickly.

What do I get? Participants will receive an introduction to the Dutch language, as well as practical information on the Dutch labour market and Dutch culture. This workshop provides the participants with all they need to know to make their stay in the Netherlands a...]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 15:42:35 +0200
Unemployment in the Netherlands higher than in Germany
According to the international definition, the unemployment rate in the Netherlands was 6.4 percent in March, i.e. above the German rate of 5.4 percent. Until September 2012, the unemployment rate in the Netherlands has been lower than in Germany. Last year, employment improved in nearly all German sectors.

Unemployment up in the Netherlands, stable in Germany
Since the German reunification, unemployment has always been lower in the Netherlands than in Germany, but this trend changed in 2012, when the rate was 5.4 percent in both countries according to the international definition. In...]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 08:34:01 +0200
This is a joint press release of TNO and Statistics Netherlands

More and more employees in the Netherlands are worried about losing their job. These concerns are greatest among 50-59 year-old employees. At the same time, employees in this age group are more often enthusiastic about their job than younger workers. These are among the initial results of the Netherlands Working Conditions Survey 2012, held by TNO and Statistics Netherlands.

At the end of 2012, 32 percent of employees were worried that they might lose their job. This is twice as many as in 2007, when 16 percent had such...]]> Wed, 08 May 2013 08:27:11 +0200 IDIS has announced the opening of a distributor network based out of Dongen in the Netherlands providing regional business operations to support next generation DirectIP™ high definition (HD) surveillance solutions.

IDIS Benelux BV offers customers a direct and local operation for DirectIP™ sales, service and technical support across Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. “By expanding our European presence and broadening our inventory, we improve efficiencies while providing local and tailored operations and programs that directly benefit our Benelux customers,” commented, Dr Young Dal Kim, CEO, IDIS Group of Korea.

Carlo A. Kuijer, CEO, IDIS Benelux, noted, ““We are building on...]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 10:54:17 +0200 Company Joins Thriving Dutch Gaming Scene


Chartboost, a San-Francisco based company that develops platforms for mobile games, has opened its first international office in Amsterdam.

The new location enables the company to provide real-time support to the one-third of Chartboost developers who are already based in Europe.

“We have always admired European developers and find their creativity and leadership inspiring. We are excited to now be even closer to that thriving game ecosystem,” said Maria Alegre, co-founder and CEO, Chartboost.

The Amsterdam area is currently home to more than 50 gaming companies, and the Dutch gaming market is expected to...]]> Tue, 07 May 2013 10:47:04 +0200  

Nyenrode Business Universiteit understands that choosing which university and program are the best for your is never an easy task. Therefore, they have created the MBA Weekends so you can experience what life would be like once you enroll in the MBA program.

Nyenrode MBA European Weekend consists in two action-packed days and nights at Nyenrode’s 13th Century estate which will provide potential International MBA and Executive MBA students with quality lectures and workships around the topic: ‘the role of Europe in the global business world’. During this event,...]]> Fri, 26 Apr 2013 17:56:00 +0200 How To Use Social Media to Find Top Talent For Your Firm

Latest figures suggest that over 90% of employers are using social media for hiring. Why? Because talent shortages and tough economic conditions remain in place throughout the world – including the Netherlands – and social media is an effective new way to find both domestic and international talent at a low price.

This is why employers should get on board with social media hiring or risk being left behind in the war for talent. There are three social media hiring channels that you should focus on and these...]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:22:13 +0200

Number of expat orders on the rise
Employees are able to obtain orders from abroad more easily. The number of expat orders has risen by 50 per cent.
According to a business survey held by Mercer, it is expected that the number of foreign orders will be on the increase this year. ManonGerritsen, expat consultant says, “Working abroad is becoming more and more popular and the orders are becoming more and more diverse. This is due to the fact that lately, a lot of companies have only been able to give out small increases in wages.” According to Mercer, the...]]> Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:29:53 +0200

Its easy to think that in the modern world of jobs boards and social media hiring that Career Job Fairs in the Netherlands are dead. They are not, Career Job Fairs in the Netherlands are alive and kicking and still remain a great way to get a job.

So, why are jobs fairs in the Netherlands so popular? Because there is one key advantage that a career job fair in the Netherlands has over other job search tactics That is, a career job fair in the Netherlands gives you immediate access to a Dutch employer and if you...]]> Sun, 21 Apr 2013 08:40:45 +0200
Winnaar Intercedent van het Jaar 2013
Dé Intercedent van 2013 is bekend! Het is Suzanne Jongejan-Eversteijn van Unique. Tijdens de spannende finale waarin de tien runners up met elkaar hebben gestreden om de titel heeft Suzanne niet alleen de Award in ontvangst genomen, ze mag ook een jaar lang in een auto van de Intercedent van het Jaar rijden. ARTRA Arbeidsmarkttrainingen kijkt samen met de ABU, de NBBU en ál haar sponsoren terug op ‘Het leukste Flexevent van 2013!’

Tot het laatste moment spannend
In de middag hebben de drie finalisten Suzanne, Iris Mulder van Adecco en Kristel Frey van Manpower...]]> Sat, 20 Apr 2013 19:54:09 +0200 How To Use Social Media To Attract Talent

Social media is an important and exciting new recruitment channel which many employers are now incorporating into their hiring process. Reports suggest that up to 90% of employers now use social media to attract talent. The most popular social media hiring channel is Linked-In and Twitter is very popular too. So, what does it take to effectively attract talent through Linked-In or Twitter?

Starting with Linked-In. One of the most effective ways to find talent on Linked-In is to build a following of relevant talent on Linked-In and then to market vacancies...]]> Fri, 19 Apr 2013 13:22:40 +0200

The stunning facility will be dedicated to driving innovation and new products that will excite consumers and customers in The Netherlands and across Europe, a key market for Heinz, a global leader in the packaged foods industry.

In total 160 chefs, food-scientists, quality engineers and researchers will drive innovation across Europe in this...]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:32:47 +0200 Unemployment in the Netherlands rises to over 8 percent Unemployment rises sharply in March Slight increase in unemployment benefits According to figures released today by Statistics Netherlands, seasonally adjusted unemployment in the Netherlands rose by 30 thousand in March, to 643 thousand people.
Figures published by UWV – the organisation responsible for implementing unemployment benefits - show that the number of unemployment benefit claimants rose by 3 thousand to 380 thousand in March.

Unemployment in the Netherlands rises sharply again
Unemployment rose further in the Netherlands in March, to 8.1 percent. Three months previously, 7.2 percent of the labour force were out...]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 21:25:25 +0200 What Does it Take to Manage International Teams Effectively?
As a result of the globalization of trade, culture and talent over the last decade, employers now find themselves leading and managing international teams consisting of staff of multiple nationalities and coming from diverse cultures. This change in the make up of teams cannot be ignored and companies with international teams needs to internationalize their management processes if they are to remain effective.

So, what does it take to manage international teams effectively?
One of the main ways that the management process can be internationalized is to hire, promote and encourage...]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:16:20 +0200 Modern Migration Policy Act enters into force on 1 June 2013 

The Modern Migration Policy Act (Wet modern migratiebeleid) will be introduced on 1 June 2013. State Secretary Teeven stated this in his letter to the House of Representatives. The National Visa Act (Wet nationale visa, also referred to as the MVV Act) will be introduced simultaneously.

The Modern Migration Policy Act can enter into force now that INDiGO, the new information system of the IND, is functioning and can adequately support the implementation of the act.

Once the act has been introduced, most migrants will need to have a sponsor...]]> Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:45:40 +0200 Its easy to think that in the modern world of jobs boards and social media hiring that Careers Fairs in the Netherlands are dead. They are not, Careers Fairs in the Netherlands are alive and kicking and still remain a great way to get a job.

So, why are jobs fairs in the Netherlands so popular? Because there is one key advantage that a job fair in the Netherlands has over other job search tactics That is, a jobs fair in the Netherlands gives you immediate access to a Dutch employer and if you can impress their hiring team, it...]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:06:31 +0200 The average age in the employed labour force has risen further to 41.4 years in 2012.
On average, employees are younger than self-employed, but their average age increases faster. The sectors public administration and government services have aged most during the past two decades.

Average age in the employed labour force continues to rise
Between 1990 and 2012, the average age in the employed labour force has increased from 36.2 to 41.4 years. The labour force is ageing because the entire Dutch population is ageing, but mainly because the labour participation rate among older people has risen significantly. In 1990,...]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:30:20 +0200 The cabinet and the social partners have agreed on a sizeable package of measures for the future of the labour market.
The main points are: The 4.5 billion austerity programme for 2014 will be ignored completely. It will be assessed if it will be necessary to take further action for 2014 in August. Because of this, the announced income freeze for the government and for the care sector is cancelled. The arrangements made by the coalition agreement on the unemployment benefit term are slashed. Instead, the unemployment benefit term will be shortened gradually from 2016 onwards to two years. Arrangements...]]> Mon, 15 Apr 2013 08:08:43 +0200 RELOCATION HOLLAND

In our increasingly globalized world, job seekers are becoming more globally mobile than they have ever been. Yes, a recent survey by CERC tells us that 25% of workers from 24 countries surveyed would be 'very likely' to move abroad, which is up 6 points from 19% last year. So, it is clear that there is a huge pool of global talent who are willing to internationally relocate to the Netherlands for a job. However, in this highly competitive, global talent market-place international employers must have an appealing brand message if they are to attract and secure the services...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:25:53 +0200 Dutch Employment Law | Netherlands

There are several areas of legal advice that may be important to you when you are an expat in the Netherlands and it is important to ensure that you know your rights and the laws of the land and the work-place before taking up assignment.

One of the first areas that you must be fully aware of when in the Netherlands is your immigration status. You must be absolutely clear on the terms of your residency permit and work permit and be careful not to breach them. If you have come from outside the EU you...]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:15:57 +0200 Kickstart School

Josien Deknatel is the founder of Kickstart Language School She earned her teacher training in the Netherlands, but her teaching career has taken her to special places, and then back home to Holland. Her expat experiences have shaped her teaching and the core values of Kickstart

“Moving to a new country and getting used to a different culture and language is not an easy process,” says Josien. “I know because I’ve been there.”

Josien started teaching Dutch in London in the early 1990s at Linguarama and other language schools, plus two adult education colleges. Her teaching skills later carried...]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:02:23 +0200 Taalnetwerk

Isobel Thorn Prikker has lived a life of languages. As the Director of TaalNetwerk, a language institute located in the heart of The Hague, Isobel enjoys a full schedule of teaching while overseeing 25 weekly classes taught by 10, individually-selected teachers. Small classes, personal attention and a focus on social interaction are the hallmarks of classes taught at TaalNetwerk.
In an interview with Together Abroad, Isobel shared her experiences in languages that took her from translation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to teaching in higher education, language instruction at international organisations and finally to running her own language school....]]> Fri, 12 Apr 2013 10:57:53 +0200 We know that the global employment situation is especially difficult at the moment due to the persistent global economic slowdown. This has created many areas within the world where jobs are scarce and, if you are in countries with high unemployment or limited career options, it can seem like you are in a career dead end, like it is the end of the world.

The truth is though that the world does not end at your country's border, it begins there, and if you go out and search this world, you will find plenty of countries with great employment...]]> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 16:00:29 +0200
This is probably not the first article that you have read that attempts to portray a country as a great place to live and build a career, and it won't be the last. But, without doubt, choosing to establish the next step of your international job in Holland could be one of the best choices that you make in your life. This is a bold statement we know, and we can back it up, and justify exactly why a job in Holland is so special.
Netherlands Jobs

Well, the first reason that we think a job in the Netherlands is...]]> Thu, 11 Apr 2013 15:54:01 +0200
In the first quarter of this year, collectively negotiated (CAO) wages increased by 1.8 percent. The wage increase is the highest since the end of 2009, but is still far below the level of inflation. Contractual wage costs increased by 2.2 percent in the first quarter.

Wage increase has been below inflation level for eleven quarters
The average wage increase has been below the level of inflation since the third quarter of 2010. This was also the case in the first quarter of 2013: the collectively negotiated wage increase is...]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 17:02:17 +0200
The average annual bonus of employees has risen by 5 percent in 2011. The highest average bonuses were paid in the sectors mineral extraction and financial services. Bonuses paid in the (semi-)public sector were far below the average of 2 thousand euros.
Highest average bonuses paid in mineral extraction sector
The sector mineral extraction topped the list in 2011 with an average bonus of 12.5 thousand euros per working year. With 8 thousand jobs, mineral extraction is a small sector. The sector financial services (e.g. banks, insurance companies and pension funds) occupied second place with an...]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:57:20 +0200 University bachelors graduate sooner
The share of bachelor students at universities graduating within 5 years has grown substantially. Female students still graduate faster than their male counterparts, but men are catching up.
More than two thirds take their bachelor’s degree within 5 years
After 5 years, 68 percent of first year university students in study year 2007/’08, had completed their bachelor’s degree, i.e. an increase by 5 percentage points compared to first-year students from 2006/’07 and 8 percentage points compared to 2005/’06. The increase comes after a period, in which the binding study advice, the bachelor-before-master rule and the long-study...]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:54:44 +0200 What Does it Take to Manage International Teams Effectively?

As a result of the globalization of trade, culture and talent over the last decade, employers now find themselves leading and managing international teams consisting of staff of multiple nationalities and coming from diverse cultures. This change in the make up of teams cannot be ignored and companies with international teams needs to internationalize their management processes if they are to remain effective.

So, what does it take to manage international teams effectively?

One of the main ways that the management process can be internationalized is to hire, promote and encourage...]]> Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:26:37 +0200
Learn any languages with Berlitz Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Maastricht. More than 30 languagesare available.

Group Dutch Courses for Newcomers!

Language students around theworld are delighted with the Berlitz Method®. Whether for business or forpleasure, animated, active learning with Berlitz is one of the most successfulmethods of effectively and enjoyably learning a language.

All our Language courses are based on thefollowing key elements of the Berlitz Method®:

. Course participants' needs come first

· Talk and think in your target language fromthe very beginning

· Very high percentage of speaking time

· Targeted teaching

· Intuitive grammar...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:00:55 +0200
The Leiden area is a booming knowledge region. It is home to the Leiden University, the Leiden Bio Science Park, the aerospace cluster and the floral industry. Apart from offering challenging jobs, the Leiden region is an excellent location for living and recreation.

The Expat Centre Leiden provides a warm welcome to expats who live and work in the Leiden region. We will help you find answers to questions about the issues you will deal with when settling in the Netherlands. Our dedicated expat officers will answer your questions and offer you advice on a wide range of...]]> Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:22:17 +0200
Within the Twente Region, which is in the East of the Netherlands, there are many international companies and therefore there are a lot of expats within the Twente Region. With the Expat Center, the World Trade Center Twente has fulfilled the need of an organisation, where expats can find answers to...]]> Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:15:09 +0200
Expats can obtain regional information about procedures, housing, taxation, finance & insurance, education & careers, personal & social needs, culture & leisure and much more at the Expat Center South in Tilburg, Eindhoven and Maastricht.

How to Find Holland Expat Center South | Eindhoven
Kennedyplein 200
5611 ZT Eindhoven

How to Find Holland Expat Center South | Maastricht
Mosae Forum 10
6211 DW Maastricht

How to Find Holland...]]> Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:13:18 +0200
After a successful few years, the Expatcenter still has its sights set on expanding services and building bridges for Amsterdam’s international community.

The cities of Amsterdam, Amstelveen, Almere and Haarlemmermeer, together with the Immigration and Naturalisation Services (IND), have joined forces to create the Expatcenter. The Expatcenter, situated in the World Trade Center in Amsterdam Zuid, provides a one-stop-shop service for highly-skilled migrants.

Successful...]]> Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:11:27 +0200
More than half of unemployed workers, who have been without work for more than one year, usually find employment in a different sector from where they were working before.

Results of research performed by UWV proved this last Wednesday. Furthermore, the long-term unemployed (unemployed for more than one year) find work approximately three months quicker than jobseekers only searching for work in their own field. The number of long-term unemployed workers has been on the rise for quite some time. Figures supplied by CBS showed that in the...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 18:22:17 +0200
When you move to the Netherlands it is important to think about learning to speak the local language at a practical level at least. So, what language (s) are spoken in Holland? Well, the native language is Dutch; however English, German and French are commonly spoken and so if you speak one of these second languages you may be able to get by also, but you will not be able to rely on someone speaking these second languages in all situations. This is why you should consider attending a language school in the Netherlands to learn Dutch . 

But,...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:53:41 +0200
Learning Dutch or English in the Netherlands can be a challenge but also an opportunity to grow in your new life or job in the Netherlands. Everyone has his or her motivations for learning Dutch or English, in the Netherlands such as increasing your chances on the job market, earning your entry ticket to an educational institute, improving your social life, acquiring a feeling of integration, feeling more empowered, wanting to understand the culture, etc. Whatever you goals, mastering the language will prove advantageous.

LEVELS OF LEARNING
There are certainly many ways to reach your language goals. Self-study,...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:49:28 +0200
When you move to the Netherlands it is important to think about learning to speak the local language at a practical level at least. So, what language (s) are spoken in Holland? Well, the native language is Dutch; however English, German and French are commonly spoken and so if you speak one of these second languages you may be able to get by also, but you will not be able to rely on someone speaking these second languages in all situations. This is why you should consider attending a language school in the Netherlands to...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:46:06 +0200
We would like to give you the opportunity to see who we are and how we work. The Open Day gives you a chance to get to know us and our teachers, will tell you about the unique ‘out-of-the-classroom’ teaching method. During the Open Day there is a free trial lesson, for which you can register here. If you are interested in one of our intermediate or advanced courses you can take a free language proficiency test to determine which one of our courses best fits your needs. Of course, you will also...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 16:05:44 +0200
We are Arlette de Haan and Els de Buvry. With over 25 years of experience in financial planning, relocation, house hunting and tax services, we recognized the necessity for a more customized approach to the needs of our clients. Based on these experiences we founded Tulip Expats Services. 
Tulip Expats Services provide advice to those who wish to work and live in the Netherlands and also to (overseas) companies who do, or are planning to do, business in the Netherlands. Because we specialize in all these areas we are familiar with all the specific rules and regulations and can...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:52:15 +0200 Established in 1990, Settle Service is your trusted partner for immigration and relocation services in the Netherlands. Our aim is to ease your way through government regulations and all kinds of practical aspects related to a relocation. We are at your service; are your guide to, in and out of the Netherlands. Please explore our website and find out what we do and who we are. If you have a question, please send us an e-mail or contact us through the contact button on the left hand side.

Settle Service: to guarantee a positive start!

Settle Service guides your way...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:46:31 +0200
Relocation Services Holland's goal is to ease the Human Resource Department's work load. We aim to remove all worries and concerns about the assignees’ immigration and...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:40:54 +0200
Relocation isn't just a question of finding a house, especially for international expatriates! It's about creating an enjoyable life in a brand new culture for themselves and their families. Our professional staff’s main priority is to make the difference between an normal service and a successful new start. They make sure to ensure a smooth transition during the whole relocation and settling in. This enables the employee to focus on his/her new job, quickly and stress-free, generating a healthy return on investment.

The people at Relocation isn't just a question of finding a house, especially for international expatriates! It's about...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:35:35 +0200
The world is becoming smaller and workers are becoming more globally mobile. Yes, research from CERC tells us that 25% of employees from 24 countries say that they would be 'very likely' to take up a job in a new country, which is 6% higher than last year.

But, even though many of you are very keen to move abroad for work to the Netherlands in order to take advantage of the global jobs market, many of you are not seizing the opportunity to work in a new country. We think that you may...]]> Wed, 03 Apr 2013 13:30:20 +0200
Together Abroad offers you advice on your job prospects through a number of individual sessions with a career advisor.
Together we examine your opportunities, taking into account your strengths, weaknesses and barriers.
We will analyze your current situation and your ideas for your new professional challenge.

Our career coaches will also guide you through strategies and planning for your new career. In addition, we will assist you to search for job opportunities and learning options which can facilitate your entrance to your career choice in the Netherlands.

ADDITIONAL MODULES OF CAREER COACHING NETHERLANDS: Career development Assesment Job analysis List of companies...]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:09:47 +0200
Thinking about a career change? Not sure which education to pursue? The Dutch labor market allows the creativity to focus on your full potential, regardless of you previous career? Finding a job abroad is not always easy, particularly if you do not know the language. You would probably be surprised to learn about how many job opportunities for non-Dutch speakers there are in the Netherlands.

The hardest part is getting started:
Where to look for vacancies?
How to present yourself for a job interview?
What kind of opportunities are there for your experience?

At Together Abroad...]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:01:42 +0200

Shell attracts ex-military staff

Shell will start hiring redundant military staff from next month onwards
On Wednesday afternoon, the energy group and Ministry of Defence will sign a covenant on the matter which will run from 2 April 2013 until 31 March 2014. The agreements made may be extended each time by a period of one year, should both parties be in agreement. Shell is specifically looking for staff for logistic posts, maintenance workers, operators and staff for the contracts & procurement department. “We know that military workers have useful competences and qualities to work for Shell”.

Cooperation

“Cooperation, flexibility,...]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 10:41:28 +0200 eG Innovations Focuses on Continental Europe, Opens Office in the Netherlands

Growing Demand for Performance Management Solutions in Europe, Record Customer Adoption and Strong Partner Growth Fueling Expansion
Iselin, N.J., March 26, 2013 eG Innovations, the award-winning provider of automated performance management solutions for virtual, cloud and physical IT infrastructures, today announced that it has opened an office in The Hague, the Netherlands. This new location will allow eG Innovations to better meet the needs of European customers as they seek to gain greater visibility into the performance of applications and IT infrastructures. Headquartered in Singapore, eG Innovations has offices...]]> Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:35:28 +0200

Als je als expat (tijdelijk) naar het buitenland gaat om daar je werkzaamheden te verrichten, heb je nog steeds recht op dezelfde bonus als je expat-collega’s. Dit geldt ook wanneer je collega’s, die werken op lokale arbeidsvoorwaarden, die bonus niet krijgen, zo bepaalde recentelijk de kantonrechter Groningen (LJN: BZ0528).


Expat-bonusIn deze zaak ging het om een Nederlandse werknemer, werkzaam bij een internationaal bedrijf, die sinds 2005 als expat werkzaam was in Kazakhstan. In 2010 werd hem verteld dat hij een bonus uitgekeerd zou krijgen, te weten ‘payment of 70% of 24 leave days for the...]]> Fri, 29 Mar 2013 08:46:13 +0100 The Modern Migration Policy Act (Wet modern migratiebeleid) will be introduced on 1 June 2013. State Secretary Teeven stated this in his letter to the House of Representatives. The National Visa Act (Wet nationale visa, also referred to as the MVV Act) will be introduced simultaneously.

The Modern Migration Policy Act can enter into force now that INDiGO, the new information system of the IND, is functioning and can adequately support the implementation of the act.

Once the act has been introduced, most migrants will need to have a sponsor in the Netherlands. Sponsors and migrants have statutory obligations under...]]> Thu, 28 Mar 2013 17:15:00 +0100
Most people underestimate the complexity of an Income Tax Return (IT) and often get stuck during the preparation process. In order to prevent this from happening, it is wise to first consult a tax adviser or to have your Income Tax Return prepared by a certified tax adviser.

Income Tax is levied on natural persons. All the residents of the Netherlands are liable for Income Tax, but obviously a person is only liable for Income Tax if he/she earns an income. Residents of the Netherlands (domestic taxpayers) have to pay Income Tax on their income, wherever in the...]]> Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:43:46 +0100
The Innovation Union Scoreboard shows that the Netherlands has risen to the fifth place this year of most innovative economies in the European Union. 'This great score shows that the Dutch economy is very strong. The Netherlands belongs in the top five.' says minister Kamp of Economic Affairs.

Innovation performance in the EU has improved year on year in spite of the continuing economic crisis, but the innovation divide between Member States is widening. Drivers of innovation growth in the EU include SMEs and the commercialisation of innovations, together with excellent...]]> Thu, 28 Mar 2013 15:32:58 +0100
Your resume gives the prospective employer the first impression on your skills, capacity, and potential. It is therefore extremely important to get it right. Particularly in times of economic turndown like today, your resume is the most valuable asset and selling point for you to enter the job market. And what about your motivation letter in the Netherlands? Does it reflect all your capabilities and experience?
COVER LETTER IN HOLLAND
The cover letter is not necessarily an integral part of your job application in Holland. You can use the passage ‘Personal profile’...]]> Wed, 27 Mar 2013 15:02:47 +0100 Cross-cultural training Netherlands

Are you about to meet with a foreign business contact? Here’s your chance for a great first impression! 
Culture-inc have composed 10 do’s and don’ts for doing business in the Netherlands

Cross-cultural training Netherlands Plan your meeting well in advance; Dutch are ruled by their agenda's
Get down to business fairly soon; too much small talk may be viewed as lack
of competence
Expect decision making to be slow due the need for consensus; all involved may
voice their opinions first 
Dutch tend to be very direct and honest in their communication, but they do not
tell you everything
Dutch don...]]> Wed, 27 Mar 2013 13:11:49 +0100 ICP  International Community Platform survey Let your talent pay off

Dear international,

Please participate in the ICP* survey on “The Quality of your Professional Life””. With your input and needs we can create an optimal working and living environment for international talent and their relatives.

Our goal: enable your talent to pay off!

Are you an international employee, self-employed, student or so called ‘STARS’ (Spouses Traveling and Relocating Successfully), please share your input via the link to the online survey.
Completing the survey will take approximately 15 minutes of your time. Should you not be able to complete the survey...]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:15:31 +0100 “Nyenrode Programs for Professionals & Entrepreneurs”

Nyenrode Business Universiteit is offering breakthrough international programs for experienced professionals and entrepreneurs to enhance their business skills and knowledge with insights than can immediately be put into practice in their current businesses. These programs are MBA level courses with an international focus and a practical orientation.

Nyenrode programs allow professionals and entrepreneurs to experience the most up-to-date academic know-how and the best business practices in topics such as entrepreneurship, international business, sustainability and finance. All our programs for professionals and entrepreneurs are English-taught. These programs last from 5 to 10 days.

Find more...]]> Mon, 25 Mar 2013 18:57:06 +0100
WHAT IS YOUR BACKGROUND IN RELOCATION?
I have worked in the relocation industry since 1996. I started on the household moving side and then realized there was much more to a move then shipping furniture. From there I started to work closely together with local Dutch relocation companies. After that I set up European relocation management in 27 European countries together with ARM in Asia. In 2003, we became Global Relocation Services (GRS), which has locations in 90 countries around the world.


WHAT ARE YOUR AREAS OF EXPERTISE AND INTEREST?
I have broad interests, but...]]> Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:18:37 +0100 Positive results for NFIA in 2012 despite continuing difficult economic times

THE HAGUE, 14 February 2013 - The Netherlands continues to be very attractive for foreign companies. In 2012, the NFIA (Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency) supported 170 foreign investment projects, with a total value of more than 930 million Euros. These projects will result in 5,166 jobs, of which 1,795 relate to job retention. The share of job retention in 2012 has nearly doubled in comparison to 2011, according to the latest annual results for the NFIA.

Bas Pulles,...]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:53:49 +0100
China State Key chose the Netherlands due to the advanced innovative-ecosystems and for Delft in particular because of the successful partnering in Beijing, by exchanging knowledge and expertise . It is the first...]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:11:48 +0100
Since 11 January the new European Cybercrime Centre (EC3) is up and running to help protect European citizens and businesses from cyber-crime. EU Commissioner for Home Affairs Cecilia Malmström articipated in the official opening of the Centre established at the European Police Office, Europol in the Hague (the Netherlands).

"The Cybercrime Centre will give a strong boost to the EU‘s capacity to fight cybercrime and defend an internet that is free, open and secure. Cybercriminals are smart and quick in using new technologies for criminal purposes; the EC3...]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:16:03 +0100
The projects reported on in 2012 reflected a significantly higher growth expectation: 889 new jobs in 3 years....]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 13:08:00 +0100 My motivation to start working for Randstad was that I was looking for a job in a dynamic working environment, with a large multinational company. I had heard very good stories about Randstad as an employer and that they invested a lot in the training and development of new employees.


Our specific approach with Randstad Multilingual Recruitment is a personal approach. We work with a team of 5 people, who are responsible for establishing and maintaining all relations ourselves. Our process is quite straightforward: candidates that apply or that we headhunt ourselves, get a telephone interview. In this interview, a...]]> Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:48:23 +0100
Dear International,

My name is Suzanne Jongejan, i work for UNIQUE inhouse SHELL DH and i have been nominated for Intercedent / recruiter van het jaar (Consultant/recruiter of the year)!
A huge honor and I have already made it through the first round! Intercedent van het Jaar is a yearly election for professionals in the recruitment industry and in order to help win the election, I will need to get as many votes as possible on my promo film. Aside from this I have been tested on my knowledge and will be tested on commercial&management skills. Based on the results of this, I hope to...]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2013 08:55:17 +0100
What was the motivationt start working for Unique?

What attracted me initially was the combination of sales and recruitment which Content offered in one job (Content merged with Unique in 2010). For me it is very important to have a dynamic job while being able to mean something for people. Previously I had been working in sales and I was just selling products that could make peoples live easier. At some point I wanted to add value on a much deeper level. In this job you can actually change peoples lives by offering them the opportunity that they have been...]]> Tue, 19 Mar 2013 15:50:14 +0100 Isobel Thorn Prikker has lived a life of languages. As the Director of TaalNetwerk, a language institute located in the heart of The Hague, Isobel enjoys a full schedule of teaching while overseeing 25 weekly classes taught by 10, individually-selected teachers. Small classes, personal attention and a focus on social interaction are the hallmarks of classes taught at TaalNetwerk.
In an interview with Together Abroad, Isobel shared her experiences in languages that took her from translation at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, to teaching in higher education, language instruction at international organisations and finally to running her own language school....]]> Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:03:31 +0100
Women should be able to take their maternity leave in sections and spread the 10 full weeks over a maximum period of 30 weeks.
Pia Dijkstra and Steven van Weyenberg, members of parliament for D66, will put forward a proposal on Friday, International Women’s Day, in order to realize this plan. Coalition parties VVD and PvdA say they have sympathetic views regarding the plans but will await the exact details and form an opinion, keeping the cabinet’s proposals in mind. The bill is expected to be under discussion after the summer. Dijkstra sees many advantages in the amendment. It would...]]> Mon, 18 Mar 2013 09:00:07 +0100
Over a third of all employees are willing to hand in part of their wage in order to keep their job. On average, Dutch people will give up 5 per cent of their salary.

A group of 5 per cent is even willing to hand in over 10 per cent if that means their job is safe. Research performed by the ING shows that 62 per cent of the workforce do not think they will be able to change jobs in the near future. A mere 23 per cent believe they would be able to find new work should this...]]> Mon, 18 Mar 2013 08:58:34 +0100
45 thousand employees earn 100 thousand euros or more
In 2011, the average annual wage of employees per job was 31 thousand euros; 145 thousand employees in the Netherlands annually earned 100 thousand euros or more in 2011.

Nearly six in ten jobholders earn less than 30 thousand euros
There were 7.9 million employee jobs in the Netherlands in 2011. The average annual wage was 31,340 euros, including special bonuses, like end-of-year bonuses, performance-related bonuses, etc. Approximately one in twenty jobs are secondary jobs.
In 4.7 million jobs, employees earned an annual wage of 30 thousand euros or less, i.e....]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 09:17:48 +0100
The world is becoming smaller and workers are becoming more globally mobile. Yes, research from CERC tells us that 25% of employees from 24 countries say that they would be 'very likely' to take up a job in a new country, which is 6% higher than last year.

But, even though many of you are very keen to move abroad for work to the Netherlands in order to take advantage of the global jobs market, many of you are not seizing the opportunity to work in a new country. We think that you may be missing an...]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 09:13:53 +0100 Unemployment highest in Flevoland

Unemployment increased across all Dutch provinces last year. The highest rates were recorded in Flevoland, South Holland and Groningen. The unemployment rate is still relatively high in the north of the Netherlands, but the gap between the north and the rest of the country has narrowed.

Unemployment rate Flevoland 8 percent
Last year, 6.4 percent of the Dutch labour force were unemployed. With 8 percent, the province of Flevoland had the highest rate. The rate was also relatively high in the provinces of Groningen and South Holland. Just as in 2011, these three provinces had...]]> Sun, 17 Mar 2013 09:07:49 +0100
The initiative was taken by Isobel Thorn Prikker, who has become famous in the world of education and languages. As a language trainer she has been involved in organisations such as the NWO, the Court of Justice in The Hague, the American Embassy, the International Court of Justice and the United Nations.

TaalNetwerk offers quality practice oriented and topical language training. We have high demands with regards to our staff: they must be creative and flexible, and well...]]> Thu, 14 Mar 2013 09:28:33 +0100
Are positive, understanding professionals who enjoy sharing their extensive experience and resources to keep your international relocation costs within budget while ensuring well adjusted families with highly personalized services. They are host, teacher and friend. They know the country – the customs, the culture – and understand all about moving and living overseas. Through their experience and knowledge we provide relocating families the patient and positive support so necessary to adjust quickly to their new surroundings. 

Global Relocation Services excel at solving relocation challenges by providing the most essential and comprehensive solutions. In addition, we are committed to...]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:38:20 +0100 The vision of Verra Real Estate is to guarantee and provide international companies, expats and private persons the highest possible standard of service, legal knowledge and quality housing during their stay in the Netherlands. This vision has been developed by our team as a result of our experience in the ordinary rental market. The current housing agencies do not apply the same standards as Verra Real Estate. The lack of service and quality had become a common practice in the...]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 09:33:15 +0100
We know that the global employment situation is especially difficult at the moment due to the persistent global economic slowdown. This has created many areas within the world where jobs are scarce and, if you are in countries with high unemployment or limited career options, it can seem like you are in a career dead end, like it is the end of the world.

The truth is though that the world does not end at your country's border, it begins there, and if you go out and search this world, you will find plenty of countries...]]> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 08:36:56 +0100
The world is becoming smaller and workers are becoming more globally mobile. Yes, research from CERC tells us that 25% of employees from 24 countries say that they would be 'very likely' to take up a job in a new country, which is 6% higher than last year.

But, even though many of you are very keen to move abroad for work to the Netherlands in order to take advantage of the global jobs market, many of you are not seizing the opportunity to work in a new country. We think that you may be missing an opportunity to...]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:01:09 +0100 We hebben 2- talige of meertalige vacatures in Nederland online beschikbaar.

Where can HR managers find internationals who are ready to work in Holland?

There is an ongoing discussion in the Dutch media about the shortage of skilled workers. Experts and authorities in the trade forecast that by 2014,The Netherlands will have a shortage of about 60,000 skilled workers and the Dutch job industry would have to rely on foreign skilled workforce to fill up this shortage in the near future.

Linda Groener, the co-owner of the job board for internationals...]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:59:32 +0100
As with most countries in the world, tax is an important personal consideration that you must get right in the Netherlands in order to avoid unnecessary financial penalties.

But, one of the best incentives to properly investigate and organize your tax is that proper tax management can minimize the amount of tax that you are required to pay, and maximize your disposable income. This means that you will have more money to spend on the things that you enjoy.

First things first; as an expat in the Netherlands you will most likely be subject to income tax....]]> Tue, 12 Mar 2013 12:46:09 +0100
Legal recruitment dropped very sharply by -20% and research & development did not fare much better as hiring activity went down by -19%.

The index also highlights that elementary occupations maintained a positive growth track and grew by +8%, but managers experienced the greatest reduction in annual...]]> Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:36:33 +0100
In February this year, 755 businesses and institutions (excluding one-man businesses) in the Netherlands were declared bankrupt. This is the highest monthly number ever recorded. In January, the number of bankruptcies was also high (734).

As the number of businesses declared bankrupt in a particular month is closely related to the number of days courts are in session, it may vary considerably from month to month. Therefore, the three-month moving average is a more reliable indicator.
The three-month moving average stood at 680 in February, i.e. the highest number since the beginning of the time series...]]> Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:23:48 +0100 In 2011, the gross annual wage of female employees averaged 33 thousand euro, i.e. 55 percent of the average income of their male colleagues, who earned 58 thousand euro. The gender income gap is very wide among (married) couples with children. The gender income gap in the Netherlands is in the middle range in the European Union (EU).
Considerable income gap between working parents
The difference in earned income between men and women is relatively small for single employees. On average, single women’s wages are 84 percent of single men’s wages, but in...]]> Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:21:26 +0100
In het tweede jaar van haar master Sociale Wetenschappen aan de Universiteit van Amsterdam kreeg Shuiqin Liu een Nederlandse vriend. Was ze anders ook hier gebleven na haar afstuderen? “Waarschijnlijk niet”, zegt de Chinese. Via een Chinese online community kwam ze er bovendien achter dat ze na het afronden van haar studie nog een jaar in Nederland mocht blijven om een baan...]]> Thu, 07 Mar 2013 12:27:00 +0100
As a result of globalization, and the fact that companies in the Netherlands are increasingly looking to expand into new global markets, there is a huge demand for foreign language speakers. And, fortunately for bilingual candidates, the supply of bi-lingual talent in the Netherlands is not keeping up with demand, which is why you will find a large number of bi-lingual job vacancies in the Netherlands.

This means that one of the best ways to increase your chances of employment in the Netherlands is to learn a second language which will make you a...]]> Wed, 06 Mar 2013 20:35:11 +0100
U zit nog midden in de verhuizing of u bent net aangekomen in Nederland.
U woont hier al een tijdje en maar u heeft nog moeite met de Nederlandse arbeidsmarkt.
Bent u bekend met de wijze waarop u werk in Nederland kunt vinden?
Together Abroad geeft een workshop over het vinden van werk in Nederland en de nieuwste trends op het gebied van personeelswerving.

Diverse punten over het vinden van werk in Nederland
• Nederlandse arbeidsmarkt:
• huidige situatie van de arbeidsmarkt
• bedrijven met vacatures
• verborgen vacatures

Werving- en selectiebureaus:
•...]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:41:20 +0100
Denkt u over een carrièreswitch? U weet niet zeker welke opleiding u moet kiezen? Is het op de Nederlandse arbeidsmarkt mogelijk om gebruik te maken van uw talenten, ongeacht uw loopbaan tot nu toe?
Het is niet altijd makkelijk om een baan in het buitenland te vinden, zeker niet als je de taal niet machtig bent. Het is verbazingwekkend hoeveel mogelijkheden er zijn op de arbeidsmarkt in Nederland voor non-native speakers.
Het moeilijkste is het begin: waar zijn vacatures te vinden? Hoe presenteer je jezelf bij een sollicitatiegesprek? Wat zijn de mogelijkheden voor iemand met uw ervaring? Together Abroad geeft...]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:38:58 +0100
An international oriented company is constantly in need of qualified multilingual personnel. This career portal which is connected to Google, LinkedIn, Facebook and other social and professional networks allows your company to place their multilingual vacancies and to select directly their candidates. But what’s more important, you have access to all around information on the candidates including, their references, interests, groups they are associated with, and much more. It is a very unique way to select your own staff and to promote your company within professional circles.

Together Abroad de Vacaturebank voor meertalig talent in...]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:35:22 +0100
The motivation letter in the Netherlands is not necessarily an integral part of your job application in Holland. You can use the passage ‘Personal profile’ in your CV/ Resume to reflect your experience and objectives. If the companies requires a cover/ motivation letter it should refer to your present and future plans, showing your prospective employers what you want to do now and what you will do for them in the future.
A motivation letter Its goal is to introduce the CV/ Resume, to bring to attention aspects of your activity that can help your application and are...]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:14:45 +0100
The career portal of Together Abroad is meant for multilingual professionals. The active CV database of high educated multilingual candidates experienced in a broad scale of job sectors, coming from all career levels and regions of the Netherlands is accecible for companies and recruitment agencies.

Technology for job postings:

Together Abroad has an active connection with: Knollenstein Technologies, Ingoedebanen and Broadbean wich are compatible with most recruitment systems like Carerix, Connexys, CTB Flex, Hireserve, Mr.Ted, Otys, PeopleXS Actonomy, FlexService, Memocom/Commence, UB Plus and Yellowyard, etc.
Together Abroad has also technology to post the jobs automatically from your...]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:00:11 +0100 The Underground adds a new topic related to employment to its printed edition. The aim of this new topic is to help its readers have a better understanding of how to succeed in a job search in the Netherlands.

According to Nu.nl, the rate of unemployment in the Netherlands is rising rapidly and currently points at 7% of the workforce. As part of The Underground’s commitment to assist the community of The Hague with its needs, the paper will publish a monthly article regarding employment from March 2013 onwards. The aim of this new content is to...]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 21:26:07 +0100
Fonterra and A-ware Food Group confirm European partnership with new plants in Holland

New cheese and dairy ingredients plants in Heerenveen

New Zealand-based Fonterra and Netherlands-based A-ware Food Group have given the green light to develop a new cheese plant and dairy ingredients plant in Heerenveen in the north of the Netherlands.

New Zealand-based Fonterra and Netherlands-based A-ware Food Group have given the green light to develop a new cheese plant and dairy ingredients plant in Heerenveen in the north of the Netherlands.

Fonterra CEO Theo Spierings and A-ware Food Group CEO Jan Anker have today confirmed the...]]> Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:00:11 +0100 GERMAN JOBS IN THE NETHERLANDS
Great Reasons to Get A German Job In The Netherlands – and how to do it

Our research tells us that more and more of you are looking to move abroad for work. In fact a recent survey from CERC which polled 13,000 employees in 24 countries revealed that 25% of people said that they would be 'very likely' to take a job abroad in another country, which is a 6% increase from last year. People relocate abroad for many reasons such as: to broaden their experience, develop their career, experience new...]]> Sun, 03 Mar 2013 00:02:39 +0100
FRENCH JOBS IN THE NETHERLANDS
Great Reasons to Get A French Job In The Netherlands – and how to do it

Our research tells us that more and more of you are looking to move abroad for work. In fact a recent survey from CERC which polled 13,000 employees in 24 countries revealed that 25% of people said that they would be 'very likely' to take a job abroad in another country, which is a 6% increase from last year. People relocate abroad for many reasons such as: to broaden their experience, develop their career, experience new cultures...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:50:46 +0100
Research from the Global Talent Barometer tells us that more than 2 thirds of people are currently willing to work abroad, which is a 7% increase in global mobility from 2006. We know therefore that there is a huge demand amongst global job seekers to find a job in a new country, however, with so much choice, it is not easy to decide which destination will be right for you. However, one location which we think serves as an excellent destination for international workers looking to relocate is the Netherlands. Yes, we believe there...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:48:15 +0100
One of the best ways to integrate into a new country and to get ahead in the work-place is for you to learn the local language.

Learning Dutch or English in the Netherlands can be a challenge but also an opportunity to grow in your new life or job in the Netherlands. Everyone has his or her motivations for learning Dutch or English, in the Netherlands such as increasing your chances on the job market, earning your entry ticket to an educational institute, improving your social life, acquiring a feeling of integration, feeling more...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:29:43 +0100
One of the most important things to get right when you move to the Netherlands is choosing a location to live which is in commutable distance to your place of work and which also meets your personal lifestyle needs such as access to local amenities and entertainment. Get it right and you will have a strong foundation from which you and your family can go about their working and personal lives. Get it wrong and you may find yourself in the uncomfortable position of having to move again.

One good way of handling the uncertainty...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:21:09 +0100
CAREER ASSISTANCE AND COUNSELLING IN THE NETHERLANDS 
Spouse employment: Career assistance and counselling in the Netherlands

Together Abroad offers advice on your job prospects through a number of individual sessions with a career advisor.Together we examine your opportunities, taking into account your strengths, weaknesses and barriers. We will analyze your current situation and your ideas for your new professional challenge. Our advisors will also guide you through strategies and planning for your new career. In addition, we will assist you to search for job opportunities and learning options which can facilitate your entrance to your career choice...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:07:19 +0100
Thinking about a career change? Not sure which education to pursue? The Dutch labor market allows the creativity to focus on your full potential, regardless of you previous career? Finding employment abroad is not always easy, particularly if you do not know the language. You would probably be surprised to learn about how many employment opportunities for non-Dutch speakers there are in the Netherlands.

The hardest part is getting started:
Where to look for vacancies?
How to present yourself for a job interview?
What kind of opportunities are there for your experience?

At Together Abroad we offer you personal advice...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 23:02:46 +0100
We are operating in a global jobs market, where aspiring international workers move from country to country, for a variety of reasons, such as: career development, better pay, to broaden their horizons or simply to find a job. The Netherlands has become a very attractive destination for overseas candidates for two main reasons; the first is that is ranked as one of the top 20 most liveable cities in the world, and the second reason is that it is currently enjoying some of the lowest levels of unemployment in the euro-zone.

So, what is the most effective channel for...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:52:16 +0100
Research from the Global Talent Barometer tells us that more than 2 thirds of people are currently willing to work abroad, which is a 7% increase in global mobility from 2006. We know therefore that there is a huge demand amongst global job seekers to find a job in a new country, however, with so much choice, it is not easy to decide which destination will be right for you. However, one location which we think serves as an excellent destination for international workers looking to relocate is the Netherlands. Yes, we believe...]]> Sat, 02 Mar 2013 22:41:44 +0100 Together Abroad Nederlands grootste vacaturebank voor meertalige banen.
We hebben 1000 in de meertalige Jobs Jobs en tweetalige online beschikbaar.

Where can HR managers find internationals who are ready to work in Holland?

There is an ongoing discussion in the Dutch media about the shortage of skilled workers. Experts and authorities in the trade forecast that by 2014,The Netherlands will have a shortage of about 60,000 skilled workers and the Dutch job industry would have to rely on foreign skilled workforce to fill up this shortage in the near future.

Linda Groener, the co-owner of the job board for internationals “Together Abroad”,...]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:09:26 +0100
On Saturday 23 February 2013 Nuffic launched the website www.careerinholland.nl at the event NL4Talents. This new website provides international students and alumni with reliable and up-to-date information about career opportunities in Holland after their studies.

International students and alumni can now visit the website to learn more about key economic sectors in Holland, Dutch business culture, how to find a job and how to apply for one, salaries, entrepreneurship and practical information about residence permits for their stay after graduation.

Through www.careerinholland.nl Nuffic aims to retain international talent to...]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 15:02:25 +0100
In the fourth quarter of 2012, the amount of hours worked in stage A temp jobs was nearly 1 percent down on the third quarter. The number of hours worked in temp jobs also declined in the two preceding months. The index (2005=100) for the number of hours worked in stage A reached 110 in the fourth quarter. The figures are adjusted for seasonal variation.
Stage A includes people working for temp agencies on a contract basis without regular terms of employment. In stage A, it is easier for both...]]> Fri, 01 Mar 2013 14:56:59 +0100
Well, the first reason that we think a career in the Netherlands is...]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2013 23:17:48 +0100 Anyone wanting to (come to) work and live in the Netherlands, needs a valid passport or identity document. You must also have proof that you have access to Dutch medical insurance.

Do you need awork permit in the Netherlands?
If you have the nationality of a European Union (EU) country, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, then of course you may work in the Netherlands. This is known as the freedom of movement of workers.

If you have Bulgarian or Romanian (the so called new-EU countries) nationalitiy the residence permit is not required,...]]> Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:49:01 +0100
So, what is the most effective channel for landing...]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:28:31 +0100
If you are an international candidate looking to get a job in the Netherlands the best way to do this is to enroll with a recruitment agency in the Netherlands. There are three main ways to do this.

Go to an international job board in the Netherlands

The first way is too simply search on any international jobs board relating to the Netherlands and you will find that many of the job postings are being handled by recruitment agencies in the Netherlands on behalf of a Dutch Employer. Applying for these jobs is a great way of making...]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:21:42 +0100 If you’ve answered yes to any of these questions, turn to Together Abroad.
Together Abroad matches you up with companies or employment agencies. And vice versa. In addition, it offers information and expertise to those seeking a new start or change in career.
Don’t fall through the net. Get hired.
Check out all vacancies here...]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 23:05:03 +0100
Most countries and major cities have World Trade Centers and the Netherlands is no different; it has World Trade Centers in all the major metropolitan locations in the Netherlands, which is a good thing as World Trade Centers are a great resource for expats in the Netherlands. The services that they offer are especially useful to expats who work internationally, or who are entrepreneurial and self employed expats along with more senior executives who have an international remit.

So, what kind of services does a World Trade Center offer that will be useful to...]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:47:27 +0100
Relocating to the Netherlands from overseas will be one of the most exciting and important steps that you take in your career and working life. However, as with all international relocations, the process of settling in can be complicated. In recent years in the Netherlands, there has emerged a new expat support function known as the Expat Center, which is designed to reduce red tape for relocating professionals and to help expats and their families to settle in.

Expat Centers are situated throughout the Netherlands so no matter where you are locating within the Netherlands...]]> Wed, 20 Feb 2013 22:44:36 +0100 Adjusted for seasonal variation, 101 thousand job vacancies were unfilled by the end of last year, i.e. a decrease by 7 thousand relative to the previous quarter. Figures released by Statistics Netherlands show that the number of vacant jobs has declined continually during the past eighteen months.
The number of vacant jobs is falling across all sectors. There were 3 thousand vacant jobs in the construction sector by the end of last year, a reduction by half relative...]]> Mon, 18 Feb 2013 17:01:34 +0100
We realize that there are lot of things to take care of and a lot of questions to ask and be answered when you come to the Netherlands as an expatriate. It can be hard knowing what to do and especially hard finding all the correct people to ask questions. To help expatriates who are coming to the Netherlands to cope with their first weeks, we have compiled a list of key information sources that you will/may need to make use of.

 www.burgerservicenummer.nl/ - find out everything you need about applying for your...]]> Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:27:58 +0100
Everyone who resides in the Netherlands must have a BSN (Burgerservicenumber). This is sometimes referred to as a Sofi Number (social security number). The BSN is the citizen number and is the unique reference number for every person residing in the Netherlands.

Why is it so important? Well, if you want to make use of the Netherland's governmental and financial services you will need to show them your BSN. You will need a BSN to interact with the Dutch authorities, as well as to enable your employer to...]]> Thu, 14 Feb 2013 16:26:23 +0100 Last year, 128 thousand people with a non-western background and 315 thousand native Dutch people were unemployed. According to the most recent figures released by Statistics Netherlands, unemployment has risen further in 2012.
On average, 15.5 percent of the non-western labour force in the Netherlands were unemployed last year, versus 13.1 percent in 2011. Unemployment in the native Dutch population increased from 4.2 to 5.0 percent over the same...]]> Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:16:24 +0100
We are operating in a global jobs market, where aspiring international workers move from country to country, for a variety of reasons, such as: career development, better pay, to broaden their horizons or simply to find a job. The Netherlands has become a very attractive destination for overseas candidates for two main reasons; the first is that is ranked as one of the top 20 most liveable cities in the world, and the second reason is that it is currently enjoying some of the lowest levels of unemployment in the euro-zone.

So, what is the...]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:23:58 +0100
When you move to the Netherlands it is important to think about learning to speak the local language at a practical level at least. So, what language (s) are spoken in Holland? Well, the native language is Dutch; however English, German and French are commonly spoken and so if you speak one of these second languages you may be able to get by also, but you will not be able to rely on someone speaking these second languages in all situations. This is why you should consider attending a language school in the Netherlands to...]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:10:19 +0100 Fri, 08 Feb 2013 10:08:14 +0100
One of the most important things to get right when you relocate to the Netherlands is choosing a location to live which is in commutable distance to your place of work and which also meets your personal lifestyle needs such as access to local amenities and entertainment. Get it right and you will have a strong foundation from which you and your family can go about their working and personal lives. Get it wrong and you may find yourself in the uncomfortable position of having to move again.

One good way of handling the uncertainty about where to...]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:41:21 +0100
One of the most important things to get right when you move to the Netherlands is choosing a location to live which is in commutable distance to your place of work and which also meets your personal lifestyle needs such as access to local amenities and entertainment. Get it right and you will have a strong foundation from which you and your family can go about their working and personal lives. Get it wrong and you may find yourself in the uncomfortable position of having to move again.

One good way of handling the uncertainty about...]]> Fri, 08 Feb 2013 09:35:45 +0100
Insurance in The Netherlands

Once again, insurance is not a difficult thing to organize but it can be costly if you do not get it right. Some insurances are obligatory and are required by law, (just like in your home countries) and others are optional.

And you should carefully investigate and fully understand the insurance environment in the Netherlands for expatriates and make sure that you choose the right insurance and level of cover which is appropriate to your individual circumstances.

By law, you must have medical insurance in the Netherlands and this can be arranged through a private company...]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:39:41 +0100 Banking in The Netherlands

Its important that you have your finances in order from an early stage when starting an expatriate assignment. Your life and work will run much smoother if you can easily pay all the necessary costs and bills which come your way. You'll obviously need a bank account in order to receive your salary, to pay for rent, etc...

Fortunately, it is relatively easy for an expatriate to open a bank account in the Netherlands but you do need to follow the correct procedures and have all the right paperwork to hand. For expats, this paper works...]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:35:50 +0100

Legal Advise and Employment Advice in Netherlands
There are several areas of legal advice that may be important to you when you are an expat in the Netherlands and it is important to ensure that you know your rights and the laws of the land and the work-place before taking up assignment.

One of the first areas that you must be fully aware of when in the Netherlands is your immigration status. You must be absolutely clear on the terms of your residency permit and work permit and be careful not to breach them. If you have come from outside the...]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:28:37 +0100
Expat Tax | Taxes For Expats in the Netherlands

As with most countries in the world, tax is an important personal consideration that you must get right in the Netherlands in order to avoid unnecessary financial penalties.

But, one of the best incentives to properly investigate and organize your tax is that proper tax management can minimize the amount of tax that you are required to pay, and maximize your disposable income. This means that you will have more money to spend on the things that you enjoy.

First things first; as an expat in the Netherlands you will most likely...]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:24:23 +0100
One of the most important things to get right when you move to the Netherlands is choosing a location to live which is in commutable distance to your place of work and which also meets your personal lifestyle needs such as access to local amenities and entertainment. Get it right and you will have a strong foundation from which you and your family can go about their working and personal lives. Get it wrong and you may find yourself in the uncomfortable position of having to move again.

One good way of handling the uncertainty...]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:22:21 +0100
But, this is...]]> Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:20:15 +0100
Shop assistant, shelf stacker and waitress are the most popular jobs among pupils and students. Boys most often work as shelf stackers in supermarkets, shop assistant is the most popular job among girls. Altogether, 871 thousand young pupils and students held small jobs to supplement their income in 2011.
Boys often work as shelf stackers
Shop assistant, shelf stacker and waiter/waitress are the most popular jobs among young people attending regular education. More than 68 thousand male pupils and students were working part-time as shelf stackers in supermarkets to earn an extra income in 2011; 36 thousand worked as shop...]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:20:57 +0100
The share of unemployment (WW) and income support benefit recipients has grown during the past half decade. The number of WW recipients has risen by 77 percent. The increase was relatively large in the Randstad region. With an increase of 20 percent over the period 2008–2012, the number of income support benefits rose less rapidly. Unlike WW benefits, the increase in income support benefits predominantly occurred outside the Randstad region.
Share WW benefits almost doubled in Randstad region
By the end of June last year, 277 thousand persons received unemployment benefits, i.e. 25 in every 1,000 people in the Netherlands...]]> Wed, 06 Feb 2013 14:01:27 +0100
The pay slip has been simplified by the ULB (Standardisation Wage Concept Act). The amount of information has been reduced and all the tax and premium amounts are calculated over one single amount. The main difference is that, compared to the current pay slip, employees no longer have to pay a contribution to the ZVW (Health Insurance Act). All these costs are now charged to the employer, which means that employees no longer have to pay taxes over this amount.

More clarity?
According to Dik van Leeuwerden, manager of the Knowledge Centre for Laws and Regulations of the ADP, ‘The...]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:56:16 +0100 Perfect World, a Chinese developer of online games, has chosen to house its essential IT infrastructure in the AMS 5 data centre in Amsterdam, hosted by the TelecityGroup.

Gateway to Europe
Perfect World is a market leader in China’s online gaming market. Its most popular titles include Perfect World, Battle of the Immortals, Legend of Martial Arts and Zhu Xian. After a successful entry into the US market, the games publisher has also decided to further strengthen its European market position from its new data centre base in Amsterdam. The company’s European headquarters is also located in Amsterdam.

The decision...]]> Mon, 04 Feb 2013 11:04:16 +0100 Next Thursday, the 7th of February, the Careers day of Utrecht University will take place. In the morning there are three workshop rounds and in the afternoon will be a Careers Fair. Over 60 companies will be present on the 7th of February. There are several places left for the workshops, registrations will close this Sunday so be in time!
For more information and registration please check out the website: www.uu.nl/careersday  ...]]> Sat, 02 Feb 2013 09:22:37 +0100 Although there was a decrease of 9 per cent in the number of job openings compared to 2011, the last quarter showed small signs of growth. Yacht indicates the continuing crisis to be the main reason for this positive development. According to Yacht manager Erik Kolthof, the situation asks for businesses to alter their policies and in these proceedings financial managers are essential. As soon as these managers have done their...]]> Wed, 30 Jan 2013 17:43:31 +0100 It concerns the right of employees to return to work after maternity leave or adoption leave. This was announced by the European Committee, the general management of the European Union, last Thursday. Brussels blames Dutch law for still not having any specific criteria concerning these workers and their protection. Since 2007, the committee has repetitively urged the Netherlands to conform the law to European legislation. After aforementioned types of leave, employees should be able to return to the...]]> Mon, 28 Jan 2013 18:50:10 +0100 As of January the income requirements have been revised effective as of 1 January 2013:

Highly skilled migrants from the age of 30 € 52.010,-
Highly skilled migrants younger than 30 € 38.141,-
Persons who have graduated in the Netherlands and the Highly Educated Migrants Scheme € 27.336,-
Holder of a Blue Card € 60.952,-

If the application for a Regular Provisional Residence Permit has been submitted before 1 January 2013, the income requirements of 2012 will still apply to applications for a residence permit submitted after 1 January 2013.

Employees who wish to come to work as Highly Skilled...]]> Fri, 25 Jan 2013 12:49:34 +0100
The number of men working on a part-time basis is growing. Early 2001, 12 percent of men had part-time jobs versus 17 percent in the third quarter of 2012. The number of part-timers has increased notably among 15 to 25-year-old men.

In the third quarter of 2012, the employed labour force included over 4 million 15 to 25-year-old men. The majority of them (83 percent) were working on a full-time basis, i.e. 35 hours a week or more. However, the proportion of part-timers working 20 to 35 hours a week is increasing. Early 2001, 10...]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 15:13:42 +0100
We know that the global employment situation is especially difficult at the moment due to the persistent global economic slowdown. This has created many areas within the world where jobs are scarce and, if you are in countries with high unemployment or limited career options, it can seem like you are in a career dead end, like it is the end of the world.

The truth is though that the world does not end at your country's border, it begins there, and if you go out and search this world, you will...]]> Thu, 24 Jan 2013 14:28:44 +0100
In the last article I mentioned the most in demand careers in 2012. However, it is not enough to know which profession to choose, you also need to know what questions to ask and how to formulate them in order to find a good match between you, the job and the company. Here are five questions that should help you to identify a positive workplace from a disaster-waiting-to-happen workplace.

Top 5 questions to ask a recruiter in the Netherlands...]]> Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:26:06 +0200 Sun, 20 Jan 2013 17:45:00 +0100
When you have decided to start your own business a new world is opening up, with a wide variety of possibilities.
You could open a shop or start your own consultancy fi rm; become a full-time or a part-time entrepreneur. Clients may wish to hire you for advice or construction work. Before plucking up which is planted, there is a time to plant. In other words: you will have to be prepared to tackle challenges as well - either as a provider of services or products, as a selfemployed entrepreneur, a sole trader, an independent...]]> Tue, 15 Jan 2013 12:05:51 +0100
If you want to come and work in the Netherlands, you probably have many questions. What are the legal criteria to be able to work in the Netherlands? How do you do get a visa? Are you allowed to work in the Netherlands?  Together Abroad Jobboard informs about all these questions.

In order to be able to work in the Netherlands you should have a valid: Visa and work permit in the Netherlands BSN number in the Netherlands WORK PERMIT in the Netherlands
If you have a nationality of a EU country, the European Economic Area (EEA)...]]> Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:54:46 +0100
We are operating in a global jobs market, where aspiring international workers move from country to country, for a variety of reasons, such as: career development, better pay, to broaden their horizons or simply to find a job. The Netherlands has become a very attractive destination for overseas candidates for two main reasons; the first is that is ranked as one of the top 20 most liveable cities in the world, and the second reason is that it is currently enjoying some of the lowest levels of unemployment in the euro-zone.

So, what is the...]]> Thu, 03 Jan 2013 10:32:41 +0100

Employment Contract in the Netherlands
You can work for a Dutch employer with whom you have entered into an (temporary) employment contract. The employment contract in the Netherlands  includes conditions of the work you will be doing, your salary, the number of working hours, holiday allowance, and the number of leave days you are entitled to. Also other conditions in the Netherlands can be agreed upon such as: expense allowances for moving and commuting, pension provisions, etcetera. If you work for a Dutch employer in the Netherlands, you will in most cases be subject to Dutch taxation and...]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 12:44:08 +0100
Health insurance provides insurance cover for the cost of medical care. If you work and pay income tax in the Netherlands, you are subject to Dutch social security legislation. This means that you are obliged by law to take out health insurance in the Netherlands. A health insurance policy is a Dutch insurance policy that provides coverage for healthcare costs and meets the requirements of the Dutch Health Insurance Act (Zorgverzekeringswet). Even if you are already insured for healthcare costs in your own country, you still have to take out health insurance in the Netherlands....]]> Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:25:17 +0100
WTC Services
The key services of the WTC Twente are:
* The WTC Business Club: meeting point for international business
* Trade Information Services: matching of worldwide supply and demand with Euregional supply and demand
* Trade Education Services: practical workshops, seminars and training of international business developments
* Group Trade Missions: incoming and outgoing trade missions
* Business Services: various commercial activities such as renting of offices, conference facilities

Location World Trade Center Twente

In the next few years the WTC Twente will relocate to a new offices complex around the Central Station in Hengelo....]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 17:25:09 +0100
A job interview in the Netherlands is the time and place to impress your potential employers. Your future job depends on your performance during that short period of time. And it can all go down the drain if you are not able to demonstrate all your potential, skills and expertise.

Together Abroad prepares you for your job interviews in the Netherlands. How to answer the hardest questions right? How to show you are the right person for the job? How to prove your knowledge on the subject? Basically, how to get you to sign that...]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 16:40:59 +0100
The Netherlands is increasingly host to foreigners as temporary agency workers. Many of these so-called flex migrants are assisted by the almost 90 ABU members that are active in this area. These members, which include both specialists and generalists, come together in ABU International. A platform that makes it clear that ABU members stand for quality and reliability also in the area of labour migration.

What does the ABU do?
The ABU puts efforts into the development of clear regulations, good accommodation, effective cooperation and strict enforcement. A few examples:
All ABU members are required to be...]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:46:02 +0100
Quality and security guaranteed
There are a great many private employment agencies that provide workers on a commercial basis in the Netherlands. Only some of these are affiliated with the ABU. An ABU member must satisfy strict quality requirements. For example in the areas of safety...]]> Mon, 07 Jan 2013 15:43:33 +0100 The Netherlands enforces a legal minimum wage. This is adjusted twice each year (on 1 January and 1 July). Every worker between the ages of 23 and 65 in employment enjoys at least the right to this minimum wage. Minimum youth wages apply to employees younger than 23. The minimum wage also applies to employees of a foreign company or temporary employment agency working in the Netherlands. You can find the current minimum wage amounts on the website: www.szw.nl (click on ‘English’ above right). The minimum wage is based on the total working hours applying in a...]]> Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:06:36 +0100 Anyone wanting to (come to) work and live in the Netherlands, needs a valid passport or identity document. You must also have
proof that you have access to Dutch medical insurance.

Do you need a permit?
If you have the nationality of a European Union (EU) country, the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland, then of course
you may work in the Netherlands. This is known as the freedom of movement of workers.

If you have Bulgarian or Romanian (the so called new-EU countries) nationalitiy the residence permit is not required, but you do still need...]]> Thu, 27 Dec 2012 12:03:12 +0100 the case of full-time employment, you are therefore entitled to 20 holiday days a year (4 x 5 working days a week).

Holiday days are accrued in the course of a year. If you have been working somewhere for less than a year, the number of holiday days to which you are entitled will be
calculated on a proportional basis. If you are working for 25...]]> Thu, 27 Dec 2012 11:38:34 +0100
The cover letter in the Netherlands is not necessarily an integral part of your job application in Holland. You can use the passage ‘Personal profile’ in your CV/ Resume to reflect your experience and objectives. If the companies requires a cover/ motivation letter it should refer to your present and future plans, showing your prospective employers what you want to do now and what you will do for them in the future. 
A cover letter Its goal is to introduce the CV/ Resume, to bring to attention aspects of your activity that can help your application and...]]> Fri, 21 Dec 2012 21:30:31 +0100
A new perspective on leadership

On Wednesday 23rd of January, Nyenrode will celebrate the New Year with an inspiring and interactive Executive MBA event. A gathering of current, aspiring Executive MBA students, alumni and company executives to gain a new perspective on leadership.

During the MBA World Café evening, prof. dr. Ian Robertson, neuroscientist and author of The Winner Effect will give an interactive lecture on leadership. To celebrate the Dutch publication of his book, Het Winnaar Effect, he happily agreed upon sharing his knowledge and expertise with...]]> Fri, 21 Dec 2012 09:45:51 +0100 No long-term shrinkage of the potential labour force expected when the age for entitlement to General Old Age Pension (AOW) is raised
AOW entitlement age expected to be raised to 68 in 2030.In 2040, 26 percent of the population will be over 65 compared to the current 16 percent
More AOW claimants in 2040 despite raising the entitlement age Population up by 47 thousand in 2012 Dutch population expected to reach 17.8 million by 2040 and 17.9 million by 2060

With the proposed raising of the age at...]]> Tue, 18 Dec 2012 17:29:22 +0100 Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:53:50 +0100
If you are one of these globally minded...]]> Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:47:21 +0100
In the second quarter of this year, 108 thousand young people in the age category 15-25 were unemployed, an increase by 26 thousand from one year previously. The unemployment rate is particularly high among non-school going young people.

Unemployment grows more rapidly among non-school going young people

Six in every ten young unemployed attend some form of education. In the second quarter of this year, 64 thousand pupils in regular education were seeking jobs for twelve hours a week or more and were prepared to start shortly. This is an increase by nearly a quarter from one year previously. Unemployment...]]> Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:28:55 +0200 The Netherlands have one of the lowest rates of youth unemployment in Europe. Other countries, like the UK, have looked at the Netherlands in awe, trying to understand the secret of success.

Part of their success is rooted in their national culture: work hard, make money. “It is absolutely unacceptable to have our young people just sitting at home,” said the minister of employment Paul de Krom, quoted by the BBC in 2011. As a Dutch youngster, you are expected to start working as soon as you reach the legal age. Finding a 15-year old filling up the shelves of...]]> Wed, 18 Apr 2012 17:12:01 +0200
Press release, 19 April 2012 15:00

Unemployment in the Netherlands  up by 2 thousand in March ,Youth unemployment noticeably higher than one year ago. Number of WW benefits down by 3 thousand in March ore unemployment benefits than twelve months ago.
According to the most recent figures released by Statistics Netherlands, seasonally adjusted unemployment rose marginally in March 2012 to 465 thousand, i.e. 5.9 percent of the labour force. Figures published by the Institute for Implementation of Employees’ Insurances (UWV) show that the number of unemployment (WW) benefits declined by 3 thousand to 296 thousand.

Youth unemployment  in The Netherlands growing...]]> Sat, 21 Apr 2012 08:23:06 +0200
NETHERLANDS UNEMPLOYMENT RATE

Unemployment Rate in Netherlands increased to 6,80 percent in November of 2012 from 6.00 percent in January of 2012. Unemployment Rate in Netherlands is reported by the Dutch Statistics Office. Historically, from 2003 until 2012, Netherlands Unemployment Rate averaged 5.4 Percent reaching an all time high of 7.0 Percent in February of 2005 and a record low of 3.4 Percent in August of 2008. In Netherlands, the unemployment rate measures the number of people actively looking for a job as a percentage of the labour force. This page includes a chart with historical data for Netherlands Unemployment Rate.

Unemployment Rate

The unemployment...]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:40:10 +0100
Unemployment in Groningen twice as high as in Zeeland
With 7.3 percent, Groningen had the highest percentage of unemployed last year, marginally above the 2010 level. Zeeland, again, had the lowest unemployment rate (3.7 percent) in 2011.

Lower rate in Limburg
The overall unemployment rate in the Dutch labour force was 5.4 percent in 2011, the same as in 2010. In the province of Limburg, the rate dropped markedly...]]> Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:50:53 +0100
The composition of the employed labour force in the Netherlands has changed in the last ten years. It now comprises fewer employees with a permanent position, but more with flexible contracts and self-employed people.
Size of employed labour force fairly stable in last two years
The employed labour force in the Netherlands consisted of 350 thousand more people in the third quarter of 2012 than in the third quarter of 2002. Until the beginning of the recession at the end of 2008, the employed labour force grew by nearly 500 thousand people,...]]> Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:18:06 +0100
PALO ALTO, Calif. / TILBURG, Netherlands – 12 December 2012 - As a key step towards beginning worldwide distribution of Model S, Tesla Motors announced today that it will begin operations this month at its new EuropeanDistributionCenter in Tilburg, Netherlands. This new facility will serve as Tesla’s European service and parts headquarters, as well as the final assembly and distribution point for Model S vehicles sold in Europe. General production of European left-hand drive Model S is planned to begin in March 2013....]]> Sat, 15 Dec 2012 13:13:59 +0100

In our increasingly globalized world, job seekers are becoming more globally mobile than they have ever been. Yes, a recent survey by CERC tells us that 25% of workers from 24 countries surveyed would be 'very likely' to move abroad, which is up 6 points from 19% last year. So, it is clear that there is a huge pool of global talent who are willing to internationally relocate to the Netherlands for a job. However, in this highly competitive, global talent market-place international employers must have an appealing brand message if they are to attract and secure the services of...]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 22:49:45 +0100 And it can all go down the drain if you are not able to demonstrate all your potential, skills and expertise.
Together Abroad prepares you for your job interviews. How to answer the hardest questions right? How to show you are the right person for the job? How to prove your knowledge on the subject? Basically, how to get you to sign that contract?

Our one-on-one role play exercises and workshops will prepare you...]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:11:48 +0100
COVER LETTER IN HOLLAND
The cover letter is not necessarily an integral part of your job application in Holland. You can use the passage ‘Personal profile’ in your CV to reflect your experience and objectives....]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 14:15:34 +0100 RSS Job Feed Generator

If you go to http://www.togetherabroad.nl every day to search for new job listings our RSS jobfeed is a perfect tool for you.
RSS is a format used to publish frequently updated content such as jobs, blog entries, news headlines, and podcasts in a standardized format. An RSS document (which is called a "feed", "web feed", or "channel") contains either a summary of content such as the jobtitle and location or the full text.
RSS makes it possible for people to keep up with news, new jobs etc. in an automated...]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:40:32 +0100

There are a number of channels how one can find work in the Netherlands.These jobs may be not even published at the companies careersites. Together Abroad gives workshops on regular basis on how to find a job in the Netherlands. For more information check our events calendar

Hidden jobs in the Netherlands:
Were can we find the hidden jobs in the Netherlands?
Due to the the crisis of 2009-2011 a lot of companies hire the professionals directly avoiding recruitment agencies and publication of vacancies on expensive jobboards.

Recruitment agencies in the Netherlands :
There are about 20 different recruitment agencies...]]> Wed, 12 Dec 2012 13:23:59 +0100

According to the findings of the Heidrick and Struggles Global Talent Index The Netherlands is the 7th most open country in the world in terms of the inward and outward flow of talent. Yes, the survey showed that The Netherlands is very open to hiring foreign nationals to add diversity to its workforce. This makes The Netherlands a great destination for candidates from all over the world – be that the Americas, Asia, Africa or Australasia to start an international career.

So, there are many great reasons to come the Netherlands for work, which makes it a popular and competitive...]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 18:07:32 +0100
Find perfect jobs in the Netherlands!

Together Abroad is an international career portal. Here you can apply for multilingual or bilingual jobs & internships and find information about international education.
Start your new career in the Netherlands and search for the perfect job where Dutch is not necessarily a requirement!

Check all our multilingual opportunaties:

We also offer support to international individual employees in order to be successful on the employment market in the Netherlands.

Besides multilingual jobs & internships we offer:
Career coaching
Interview trainings
CV optimalisation and creating motivation letters
Workshops, clinics and seminars:
Get a job in the...]]> Mon, 10 Dec 2012 17:02:16 +0100 AMSTERDAM – In the last ten years the internationals could relatively easy find a job in OECD countries including finding job in the Netherlands. OECD countries have made much progress over the past decade in helping immigrants in employment process.Many countries have made attracting highly-skilled migrants a key target of their immigration policy. Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom have all seen sharp increases in the proportion of university-educated graduates among recent immigrants. The unemployment rate among migrants became thus much closer to that of natives.

According to the integration of migrants report by Organisation for Economic Cooperation and...]]> Fri, 07 Dec 2012 08:52:56 +0100
Find perfect jobs in the Netherlands!

Together Abroad is an international career portal. Here you can apply for multilingual or bilingual jobs & internships and find information about international education.
Start your new career in the Netherlands and search for the perfect job where Dutch is not necessarily a requirement!

We offer support to international individual employees in order to be successful on the employment market in the Netherlands.

Besides multilingual jobs & internships we offer: Career coaching Interview trainings CV optimalisation and creating motivation letters Workshops, clinics and seminars: Get a job in the Netherlands Job interview training Basic...]]> Thu, 06 Dec 2012 22:22:22 +0100 Did you know that, according to the Brookfields Global Relocation Trends survey, 6% of international jobs fail, that is, they end prematurely? This statistic should be of interest to all international workers, as the typical expatriate assignment requires a significant investment in time and energy from the employee, spouse and family and, in the case of the partner it can also include a certain amount of personal sacrifice. The cost of failure in an international posting is therefore extremely high and it is vital that you do everything you can to minimize the risk of assignment failure.

So, what steps...]]> Thu, 06 Dec 2012 11:16:19 +0100
There are three forces acting on the world of international hiring and assignments and these are creating a need for recruiters and HR to shift their strategic focus to the Millennial Generation (Born 1998 -2002).

This does not mean discarding Generation Y (Born 1965 1982) and Baby Boomers (Born 1946-1964), as a multi-generational hiring strategy will lead to diverse teams that are more flexible and adaptable and more high performing; I am fully behind multi-generational teams!

However, the demographic shifts that are occurring in the candidate marketplace cannot be ignored as they are beginning to impact a global company's abilities...]]> Wed, 17 Oct 2012 13:03:47 +0200
With the increasing globalization of business operations and the talent market-place, many employers find themselves having to recruit outside their own borders for talent. As international recruiters enter the new global marketplace for jobs, they soon find that they are not only competing for talent against other companies, but that they are also competing for talent against other countries, continents and time zones.

This means that in order to run a successful international recruiting campaign to attract top talent (and not just average candidates) from around Europe or around the world, employers need to know how to effectively market their...]]> Wed, 14 Nov 2012 15:19:59 +0100 Unique Nederland, as part of USG People, has different substructures, one of which is Unique Multilingual (UML). What is the specific place and focus of UML within the larger company? S.C.: Unique Multilingual is, within Unique Nederland, the team of specialists in multilingual recruitment of office personnel for companies of various sizes. By multilingual, we mean non Dutch speakers, therefore native speakers of other languages, or Dutch natives who speak English and a third language.
The team at UML is itself composed of internationals with a total of 11 different nationalities, people who are either expats in Holland, or Dutch...]]> Wed, 21 Nov 2012 11:31:52 +0100

Unemployment benefit applications in the Netherlands
THE HAGUE – Benefit authority UWV has temporarily employed over 200 employees in order to process the steep increase in the number of applications for social welfare payment.
The UWV announced last Thursday that another 300 people have been employed in order to support job-seekers. The Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment has made a budget available for this end. “These ‘new’ employees are mostly UWV staff members who have been made redundant due to cutbacks” according to the organisation. The number of applications for social welfare payment rose by 18 per cent in the...]]> Thu, 15 Nov 2012 14:17:40 +0100 As an international employer who regularly recruits for roles requiring international candidates, or a company looking to source their first international employee, you will already be aware that recruiting internationally can bring greater challenges than recruiting for local candidates, that is the process can be: more expensive, require more coordination and take longer. Of course, in most cases the rewards to the business of international recruitment far outweigh the costs.

Even so, you should be aware that international applicants may be at greater risk of leaving the assignment early or under-performing as they may have additional cultural adaption issues to...]]> Wed, 31 Oct 2012 13:56:46 +0100
The World Trade Center Twente aims to stimulate international trade by bringing together institutions and companies in the EUREGIO-area and the World Trade Centers Association global network. The role of the World Trade Center Twente is to provide a comprehensive service package comprising of, amongst others, a business club, business information,...]]> Mon, 03 Dec 2012 14:10:25 +0100 Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has secured the prestigious 'International Airport of the Year 2012' award at the CAPA's Aviation awards for Excellence gala dinner, held today in Hong Kong.
CAPA (Centre for Aviation) is a highly recognized, global provider of independent market intelligence, analysis and data services for the aviation industry.

CAPA's international panel of judges recognized that Amsterdam Airport Schiphol displayed significant leadership across a wide range of key airline and passenger related issues. Through its efforts, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol has taken up an exemplary role within the global aviation industry.

Maarten de Groof, Chief Commercial Officer of Schiphol Group,...]]> Thu, 29 Nov 2012 16:58:25 +0100
Why should partner employment be a key issue for international employers looking to hire overseas applicants into their business? Well, according to a unique study by the Permits Foundation, titled the International Survey of Expatriate Spouses and Partners, 60% of the global workforce would be 'unlikely to relocate to a country where it is difficult for their partner or spouse to find work'. This was a very expansive study, which took in the views of 3,300 expatriate spouses and partners from 122 nationalities working in 117 host countries.

Therefore, this study deserves to be taken very seriously by international employers...]]> Wed, 28 Nov 2012 15:43:53 +0100
The company PM-Aerotec, based in Hengelo, is the winner of the World Trade CenterTwente Export Award 2012. The prize was presented last night during Business Meets Twente by JeroenRoodenburg, the ambassador for Trade and Industry & International Business of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The jury praised the company for its export strategy and its co-engineering projects abroad.
PM-Aerotech(formerly Tecnovia van den Akker)isbased in Hengelo, it recently re-launched itself successfully as part of PM Bearings and produces metal precision components and is specialised in manufacturing high-quality technical modules, assembly products and end products in small editions for, among others, the...]]> Sat, 24 Nov 2012 17:51:10 +0100 AMSTERDAM – The working population still has not mastered basic communication English. The Netherlands, Belgium, Norway and Sweden are exceptions to this rule.
This was made clear by the English Proficiency Index for Companies 2012, a research performed by education organisation Education First, according to EurActiv.
This research was performed under 115,000 employees and 1.7 million adults in 24 countries. The interviewed labour force is employed by companies which turn over from one million dollars up to 100 billion dollars annually. In the Czech Republic, Japan and Russia, the working population is even worse at conversation English than the general public....]]> Fri, 23 Nov 2012 08:51:03 +0100 Every year www.greatplacestwork.nl publishes a list of the best places to work in Europe. They also break this list down by country which means we are able to bring you the list of the top 10 large multinational employers in the Netherlands which means that they have great work practices and are regarded as great places to work. This should be very useful information for international workers planning to take their next career step in the Netherlands. The top great places to work in the Netherlands are:

1.Microsoft
2.Amgen
3.ebay.
4.SAS
5.McDonald's
6.Mars Nederland
7.Mars Food Europe
8.NetApp
9.Novo Nordisk...]]> Wed, 21 Nov 2012 19:12:51 +0100 Expanded operations center to support growing European customer base

Amsterdam, The Netherlands — Tangoe, Inc. (NASDAQ: TNGO), a leading global provider of Communications Lifecycle Management (CLM) software and services, today announced the relocation of its European office location in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The new and larger office, located at: La Reine, Hogehilweg 17, 1101 CB Amsterdam Zuidoost, supports a growing workforce committed to delivering global, enterprise-grade solutions to Tangoe’s expanding customer base in Europe and around the globe.

“Amsterdam’s central location and close proximity to major travel networks, in addition to its high concentration of multi-national corporations, provides a perfect...]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:31:58 +0100 California-based Jive Software, a provider of social business solutions, is expanding its operations in Europe via new services for local customers. This includes the establishment of a data centre in the Netherlands.

The company’s new data centre, located in Amsterdam, features a modular build, abundant capacity and high-power density.

Jive Software also announced more than 70 per cent employee growth in the region for 2012.

About Jive Software
Jive Software is a provider of social business solutions. The company brings social technology innovations from the consumer world into enterprises.

NFIA
Source:IPAWorld.com, 15 November 2012...]]> Tue, 20 Nov 2012 16:29:15 +0100 AMSTERDAM – According to a global survey of expatriate by the Intelligence Group 2/3 of Dutch expats wants to return in the Netherlands.
The reason that Dutch expatriates stay in other countries is mainly to gain experience.
This deviates significantly from for example French or Belgian expats, who have moved abroad because of the crisis and never want to come back to their own country.
Besides the Netherlands (62 percent), the Australian (84 percent), Brazil (74 percent) and Chinese (61 percent) expats want to ever settle in their homeland again.
Belgians, Israelis and Greeks on the contrary do not want...]]> Thu, 08 Nov 2012 10:31:18 +0100 TAQA, the Abu Dhabi National Energy Company, and EBN BV of the Netherlands, in the presence of Minister Verhagen of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, today marked the start of construction of Gas Storage Bergermeer. Bergermeer will become Western Europe’s largest open-access gas storage facility when it is completed in 2015. Its storage capacity will be 4.1 billion cubic meters of gas, equivalent to the average annual gas consumption of 2.5 million Dutch households.

This new facility will give the Bergermeer gas field a second life, since the gas originally underground has been completely depleted. Located between Alkmaar and Bergen...]]> Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:09:08 +0100 LEIDEN, The Netherlands ─ Oct. 30, 2012 ─ Avery Dennison Corporation (NYSE: AVY), a global leader in labeling and packaging materials and solutions, today broke ground in the Leiden Bio Science Park in Oegstgeest on a new head office for its European Materials Group. The site is located approximately 30 minutes outside of Amsterdam.

The groundbreaking ceremony was co-hosted by the company’s development partner, OVG Real Estate, and was attended by local and regional dignitaries, including Guido Landheer, director top priority sectors of the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation, and Els Timmers-van Klink, mayor of Oegstgeest. It...]]> Mon, 05 Nov 2012 19:01:42 +0100
The World Trade Center Twente is currently in the process of setting up the Expat Center Twente. The pilot phase has started on July 1st 2012 and last until January 1st 2013. The aim of the Expat Center Twente is to realise a fast and smooth introduction of expats and their families and helping them to get settled in the Twente region.

Once the co-operation with the local authorities and the Dutch immigration office is arranged, the Expat Center will offer a one- or a two-stop procedure for all the documents that expats need upon their arrival. Furthermore, it will...]]> Fri, 02 Nov 2012 11:08:40 +0100
Sistema JSFC ("Sistema" or the "Company") (LSE: SSA), the largest publicly-traded diversified holding company in Russia and the CIS, today announces that it has signed a non-binding term sheet regarding the acquisition of 100% of the issued and outstanding shares in the share capital of Argos Group Holding B.V. ("Argos" and together with its subsidiaries and participations, the "Argos Group"), the largest independent group in the Western European downstream oil market, combining storage and distribution with the international trade in and sale of mineral oils and biofuels.

The contemplated transaction is subject to (i) completion of due diligence and the...]]> Thu, 01 Nov 2012 15:24:41 +0100 The Hague – Employers face restrictions on recruiting staff from outside the EU next year. A work permit will only be valid for one year. Furthermore, if the employer was ever convicted for violating labour legislation, the permit may be refused.

The government agreed to this proposal which was put forward by State Secretary for Social Affairs Paul de Krom last Friday. According to the government it is undesirable for employees from outside the European Union to be recruited while, in the Netherlands half a million workers on benefits could be doing that same job. Therefore, conditions will be adjusted...]]> Thu, 01 Nov 2012 11:02:24 +0100 BERLIN – Germany is dealing with a growing shortage in skilled workers. This number will have risen to 3.5 million in the year 2025.
The German UWV warns in the German media; In order to put a halt to this development, the influx of eastern European workers has proven to be completely insufficient, up to now. Opening the borders for eastern Europeans has not had the desired effect, according to the manager for the Bundesagentur für Arbeit, Raimund Becker. Many job-seekers opted for Great Britain instead of for Germany. Between May 2011 and May 2012, 100.000 eastern European skilled workers...]]> Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:49:24 +0200
The main reason that companies use video interviewing is to save costs and time as it is a very convenient way to do first round screening of candidates without them coming to the office.

But, for international companies, who are recruiting international...]]> Thu, 25 Oct 2012 10:50:01 +0200
AMSTERDAM – Employees working from home are often ignored by their employer when it comes to promotions. Businesses still appear to consider office attendance to be of great importance.

Thinkstock
Research performed by the London Business School confirms this. Researcher Daniel Cable compared the chances of being promoted of outworkers and ‘traditional employees’. It turns out that managers consider employees actually working in the office are more ‘reliable’ and more ‘productive’, regardless of the quality of their work. Visibility creates the illusion of worth, according to the research. People leaving the office last at the end of a working day...]]> Thu, 18 Oct 2012 17:05:40 +0200

12 institutions in the world top 200 in the rankings

Dutch universities rank significantly high in the world according to the recently released Times Higher Education World University Ranking 2011-2012. The Netherlands has 12 institutions in the world top 200 in the rankings - the most representatives of any country other than the UK and US. And this year every single Dutch university improved its position.

The Netherlands, Germany and Belgium have emerged as strong performers in Europe. The three European countries buck a clear trend of overall decline for Western universities against rising investment in world class universities in...]]> Sat, 06 Oct 2012 00:37:34 +0200
The proposal which alters the health insurance act and several other acts which reduce absence through illness and absence of unemployed disabled workers, was accepted by the Upper House yesterday.
Unemployed disabled workers are employees who: do not, or no langer have, an employer, such as workers on sick leave who are entitled to benefits, temps on sick leave and employees on sick leave whose contract end during the time the employee is ill. are employed but have an elevated risk of becoming ill due to, for instance, pregnancy or because they are organ donors. With this proposal, the government wants to...]]> Fri, 05 Oct 2012 09:11:23 +0200
Victims of workplace aggression more often report a poor state of health than their colleagues who do not face aggression at work. They are also more dissatisfied with their job and are more often attempt to find another job, in particular, if they have to deal with aggressive behaviour from superiors or colleagues.

One third of employees victims of aggressive behaviour in the workplace

One in three employees in the age category 15-65 became victims of aggression in the workplace last year. External aggressive behaviour by customers, patients, pupils or passengers occurred most frequently. Nearly one quarter of employees faced...]]> Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:19:38 +0200 The so-called top sectors include more than 260 thousand businesses. Together, they accounted for more than one third of total output value in 2010. Two thirds of spending on innovation projects by the Dutch private sector occurred in these top sectors.

Higher innovation costs

Nine sectors were labelled as top sectors. Top sectors occupy an important position in the government’s policy towards the private sector. Statistics Netherlands has selected some forty indicators to monitor these businesses in the future. The first results are presented in this article.
The survey shows that the nine top sectors included nearly one quarter of...]]> Wed, 03 Oct 2012 10:15:21 +0200 Students rate Maastricht University as the best specialist university in the Netherlands. This was the outcome of a survey entitled De beste studies 2012 (‘the best study programmes in 2012’) conducted by Elsevier in partnership with research institute ResearchNed. Of the Maastricht University programmes included in the survey, nine of the sixteen bachelor’s degree programmes were rated above average by the students, and six of the eight master’s degree programmes were among the Top 3.


Bachelor’s degree programmes
Sixteen of Maastricht University’s bachelor’s degree programmes were evaluated, most of them by both students and professors. Nine of those programmes were...]]> Mon, 01 Oct 2012 14:19:08 +0200 Jorien van Wezel and Laura Stenacker have a combined 25 years’ experience in the field of multi-lingual recruitment in the Netherlands. With the founding of Wezel & Stenacker Recruitment Services in 2011, they have combined this experience with an extensive network to provide a new approach to recruitment solutions.
In an interview with Together Abroad they spoke about the changes they have witnessed over the years, the challenges of working in today’s turbulent job market and the evolution of the modern candidate.
How has the employment landscape changed for candidates and companies during your time in recruitment?
Laura: When I...]]> Fri, 28 Sep 2012 06:56:50 +0200
AMSTERDAM – New businesses start of small and usually remain that way. Even after five years, most starting entrepeneurs don’t have any staff.
This became evident from research performed by Panteia/EIM, they interviewed entrepeneurs who set up business in the first half of 2008. On commencement, only 4 per cent of these entrepeneurs had employees on their pay roll. In 2012 it rose to 13 per cent. The number of employers is not expected to grow any further because for most entrepeneurs this was never their objective. 60 per cent of these entrepeneurs have one or two employees working for...]]> Thu, 27 Sep 2012 06:57:29 +0200 Fortune Magazine:Eindhoven has what it takes to be new Silicon Valley

Listed as one of best new cities for Innovation

Eindhoven is one of the best new cities worldwide for business innovation, according to a recent article in Fortune magazine.

The magazine profiles the city’s tech region, known as “Brainport.” More than 100 companies and institutes, and 8,000 researchers, developers and entrepreneurs work in this area. Almost half of all Dutch patent applications originate there.

Eindhoven’s Brainport region also received recognition last year, when nonprofit think tank the Intelligent Community Forum named it the “World’s Smartest Region.”

San Francisco’s Silicon...]]> Mon, 24 Sep 2012 14:31:55 +0200 The Hague – The government wants the elderly to keep working for a longer period. It is looking to postpone retirement and make it more attractive for businesses to employ workers over the age of 65. It is also looking to relax the laws of dismissal.

This is stated in the2013 Social Affairs budget plans of Minister Henk Kamp and State Secretary Paul de Krom. These measures are based on the Spring Agreement (Lenteakkoord) formed by VVD, CDA, D66, GroenLinks and the ChristenUnie after the Rutte cabinet fell last April. Retirement age will be postponed by a month next year....]]> Fri, 21 Sep 2012 10:11:59 +0200 On Wednesday October 3, 2012 the official opening of the Expatdesk Utrecht will take place. In September 2011 the founding partners started their discussion about the setup of an Expatdesk in Utrecht. Based on the professional experiences of the Founding Partner the time was there to start a central point in the City of Utrecht for expatriates and international companies.

The mayor of Utrecht will officially open the Expat Desk Utrecht

Check the vacancies in Utrecht here

Read the article Opening Expatdesk Utrecht...]]> Wed, 19 Sep 2012 21:52:59 +0200
Global freight forwarder and logistics provider, Damco, is moving its headquarters from Copenhagen, Denmark to The Hague, Netherlands. The move, which should be completed in Q1 y 2013, brings Damco closer to the heart of the European logistics community and supports its strategy to become a Top-5 industry player in the years to come.

“In The Hague, we will be closer to many of our customers, our main air and sea carriers, Europe’s biggest transportation hubs, as well as our competition and the kind of additional international logistics experience we’ll be looking to hire as we continue to grow,” says...]]> Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:13:59 +0200 Emerald Kalama Chemical LLC, a division of Ohio-based chemical company Emerald Performance Materials LLC, is building a site to manufacture environmentally friendly materials at its plant in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

The new site is due to become operational in the third quarter of 2012 and will be located at the plant Emerald acquired from DSM NV in 2010.

“With the acquisition of the Rotterdam facility, expansion in Europe is a logical choice for us,” said Edward Gotch, President of Emerald Kalama.

“Such expansion enables us both to address the market’s needs and to capitalize on our ability to integrate the...]]> Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:12:26 +0200 London - Four Dutch universities are in this year's top 100 of the prestigious QS rankings. According to the British institute, the University of Amsterdam (UvA) is the best university in the Netherlands. The UvA is in 62nd position, one spot up from last year.

The University of Leiden was the strongest riser in the ranking: from 88th place to 75th. After that, Utrecht University follows in 85th place and the Erasmus University of Rotterdam (EUR) in 99th.

Source: QS Topuniversities 11 September 2012


...]]> Fri, 14 Sep 2012 12:08:55 +0200 KJT Group, Inc. is pleased to announce it has established its first European office, in the Netherlands. KJT Group, a market research and evidence based consulting
company headquartered in Honeoye Falls, New York conducts domestic and global research for clients in complex markets such as the healthcare and sustainability industries.

“Expanding our presence into Europe at this time is a strategic imperative,” says President Kenneth J. Tomaszewski, PhD. “It is simply part of our commitment to deliver superior insights and service to our multinational and European based clients. With a rapidly increasing proportion of our research being conducted globally, a...]]> Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:31:03 +0200 In the second quarter of this year, 57 thousand people had stopped looking for work, because they thought their chances of success were tiny. The increase relative to one year previously is 14 thousand. Lower educated women in particular were more pessimistic about finding jobs.

More than 900 people prepared to work for twelve hours a week or more

In the second quarter of this year, 929 thousand people wanted to work for twelve hours a week or more. Nearly half a million of them are defined as unemployed, i.e. they can soon start working and have actively been looking...]]> Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:29:19 +0200 THE HAGUE – Every youth who has been without work for three months should be offered an internship, work-study programme or job by his or her local council.
Last Saturday, these plans were presented by the PvdA in order to combat unemployment among youths. The party has reserved 150 million euro in next year’s electoral platform for this purpose. Recent numbers of the CBS (Central Bureau for Statistics) show a sharp increase in unemployment among youths. According to Member of Parliament, Mariëtte Hamer, there is a ‘deafening silence’ in the cabinet when it comes to this issue. The obligatory work-study...]]> Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:26:04 +0200 Foreign Investments Europe
Tonalite taken over by PlantronicsThe company Tonalite in Emmen, formally a division of Ericsson and later Sony-Ericsson, has been taken over by the American multinational Plantronics. Tonalite was incorporated in 2010 by a number of employees of what was formerly Sony-Ericsson in Emmen.


The team has many years’ experience in the development of wireless products, especially in the area of miniaturized Bluetooth stereo headsets. The Bluetooth technology was invented by Jaap Haartsen, who will continue to operate in the new organization together with other Tonalite people. The takeover follows on from an ongoing and successful partnership between...]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 10:15:12 +0200 WILMINGTON, North Carolina - Aug. 14, 2012 - INVISTA Specialty Materials is investing several million dollars at its two Terate® aromatic polyester polyols manufacturing sites located in Wilmington, N.C., and Vlissingen, Netherlands. These investments involve upgrades to boost global production volumes of the Terate® HT polyols product line to help meet growing global demand for INVISTA’s aromatic polyester polyols.

“Our customers are choosing our innovative Terate® HT polyols because these products offer advances in ease of processing and efficiency in rigid foam manufacture, as well as improved adhesion to various substrates, including cold adhesion for spray applications,” said Bill Trowell,...]]> Wed, 22 Aug 2012 08:37:52 +0200 Taiwanese TSMC takes 5% stake in ASML and joins ASML’s Customer Co-Investment Program for Innovation
ASML Holding NV announced that TSMC has joined its Customer Co-Investment Program for innovation, committing to invest EUR 276 million in research and development of next generation lithography technologies, which include Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology and 450-millimeter lithography tools, over the next five years as well as EUR 838 million in a 5 percent ASML equity stake.

"One of the biggest challenges facing IC scaling today is how to effectively control the escalating wafer manufacturing cost," said Shang-yi Chiang, TSMC executive vice president and...]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:41:38 +0200
In July 2012 the US Bureau of Economic Analysis published the revised direct investment positions for 2010 and the preliminary figures for 2011. Positions in the Netherlands and the UK were the largest – 14.3 percent and 13.2 percent respectively of the total. For the third consecutive year, the position in the Netherlands was the largest – at $595.1 billion. Most of the position increase and 77 percent of the position in the Netherlands was accounted for by holding companies, which likely invested the funds in other countries.

In 2011 US investment abroad, valued at historical-cost (the book value of...]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:36:29 +0200 A new durable property will be built for German logistic service provider Rhenus Contract Logistics in Son, near Eindhoven. The company decided to choose this possibility because of the location near the A50 and A2 as well as the possibility to hire a custom built distribution center.

"A combination of commercial successes and optimizing business for our curent customers made us decide to look at the possiblities for expansion" Alphons van Erven, division director of Rhenus Contract Logistics explains.

New jobs
The new building is 55,000m2 large, and building will start after the summer. The first unit is expected to...]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:35:08 +0200 Chairman Dandy Yeh of Gigabyte Technology Inc. officially opened the new Gigabyte premises in Eindhoven during a special ribbon cutting ceremony together with Mayor Rob van Gijzel of the city of Eindhoven. Gigabyte established its first presence in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, in 2001 with assistance of BOM Foreign Investments, Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) and Brainport Development.

As a current investor BOM remained in close contact with Gigabyte, both in Eindhoven and at Corporate Headquarters in Taipei, offering assistance wherever needed. In 2005 this resulted in the expansion of their facility at Verdunplein in Eindhoven. Early 2010 Gigabyte indicated to...]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:30:37 +0200 Russian gas giant Gazprom has opened a sales office in Den Bosch with the aim of capturing 15% of the business market within five years reports "Het Financieele Dagblad" last Thursday.

After establishing sales offices in Germany, Ireland, France and UK, the Netherlands is the fifth European country where Gazprom now has a sales presence. If ambitions will be realised it's expected the office in Den Bosch will grow to 50 to 75 employees in the next 5 years.

The city of Den Bosch, in the province of Brabant, is a central location in the Netherlands. It's also home to...]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:28:54 +0200 Brabant top performer in the Netherlands: IBM GLobal Location Trends report 2012

Last Thursday IBM published the provisional results for the Netherlands in IBM's Global Locations Trends Report 2012. Annually IBM Global Services publishes their analyses of foreign investments trends in the world. The provision result for the Netherlands indicate a new record in number of projects, 342 compared to 280 in 2010. The announced investments would create 6.400 new jobs, an increase of 22% compared to 2010 with 5.200 jobs.

The provinces of North- and South-Holland attract the majority of all investments (all together 209 project), but the strongest...]]> Fri, 17 Aug 2012 09:25:17 +0200 Global orthopaedic products company Bioventus LLC (Durham, NC) has announced plans to establish its international headquarters near Amsterdam.

The company’s international operating company, Bioventus Coperatief U.A., recently signed a letter of intent to lease 7,200 square feet of office space in the South Tower (Zuidtoren), a high rise building in Hoofddorp. The office is expected to open in November. Bioventus’ International Headquarters is expected to open in November following the build-out of the facility. The office will house employees supporting finance, customer care, operations, marketing, sales and human resources

The international headquarters will house various divisions, including finance, customer care, operations,...]]> Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:29:15 +0200 Over half a million people unemployed
AMSTERDAM – Today, over half a million Dutch people are out of work, the highest number since 1996.
These figures were presented by the CBS (Central Bureau for Statistics), this amounts to 6.5 per cent of the Dutch labour force. For over a year now, each month the number of unemployed people is rising. This is due to the fact that people lose their jobs and people already out of work do not find new jobs quite as easily. In 2004 and 2005, unemployment figures were high but now for the first time, those...]]> Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:26:35 +0200 This is the fourth quarter in succession that the number of job vacancies has decreased. The number of vacancies has not been this low since 2004. The decrease occurred across nearly sectors of the economy. In the care sector, financial institutions, education and agriculture the number of vacancies is stable.

Changes in the number of unfilled vacancies are the result of the number of new vacancies minus the number filled. In the second quarter of 2012, 179 thousand vacancies fell open, 31 thousand fewer than twelve months previously. In the first quarter the decrease in new vacancies was still 28...]]> Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:24:32 +0200

According to the first, preliminary estimate conducted by Statistics Netherlands, the economic growth in the second quarter of 2012 was 0.2 percent relative to the first quarter, but economic growth was 0.5 percent down compared to the second quarter of 2011. The number of working days was the same in both quarters.

Marginal growth for second consecutive quarter
The 0.2 percent growth relative to the preceding quarter was the same as in the first quarter. The marginal growth in the first half of this year was preceded by contraction in the latter half of 2011. Despite this marginal growth, the...]]> Thu, 16 Aug 2012 20:25:35 +0200 •Sales non-food sector down slightly
•Turnover growth in consumer electronics
•Higher turnover in food, drinks and tobaccAccording to the most recent figures released by Statistics Netherlands, retail sales in June 2012 were up by 1 percent on June 2011. Prices were 1.9 percent higher, while the sales volume contracted by 0.9 percent.

Turnover in the non-food sector declined very slighty in June. Turnover generated by DIY shops home furnishing shops, and textile supermarkets was lower than a year ago, as was the case in May.

Clothes stores also missed out as far as turnover was concerned. On the other hand...]]> Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:20:17 +0200 In July, 725 businesses and institutions (excluding one-man businesses) in the Netherlands were declared bankrupt, an exceptionally high number on a monthly basis. The number of bankruptcies has soared in the first seven months of 2012: 4,475 businesses and institutions went bankrupt, nearly 30 percent more than in the first seven months of 2011.

As the number of businesses declared bankrupt in a particular month is closely related to the number of days courts are in session, it may vary considerably from month to month. Therefore, the three-month moving average is a more reliable indicator. The three-month moving average stood...]]> Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:19:08 +0200 The volume of the exports of goods grew 4 percent in June relative to twelve months previously. In May Dutch exports had increased by nearly 9 percent.The volume of imports grew nearly 3 percent in June, which is also less than in May when imports were up by 6 percent. Volume figures have been adjusted for the number of working days.

The value of exported goods totalled 35.9 billion euro, i.e. up nearly 8 percent from twelve months previously. The value of imports rose by nearly 6 percent to 32.1 billion euro, resulting in a trade surplus of 3.7 billion...]]> Mon, 13 Aug 2012 16:17:25 +0200 Lost or stolen laptops are a growing concern to all organisations. The major issue when this occurs is ensuring the information contained on the devices is secure. There are many solutions available to encrypt data on laptops however with the growing sophistication of criminals who target this information, these solutions have proven to be ineffective.

Wave approaches the problem in a totally different way with a solution that is:
• More secure using industry standard technology
• Does not affect the performance of a laptop which many current solutions do
• Up to 40% cheaper to install and manage over...]]> Thu, 09 Aug 2012 11:08:14 +0200 Company’s First European Data Center Located in Amsterdam

Washington-based Daptiv, a provider of project portfolio management (PPM) software, has announced the opening of its first European data center located in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

The new data center will accommodate customer demand for the company's SaaS-based PPM software.

Daptiv is also expanding its presence in the United Kingdom and has opened an office in London. The office is comprised primarily of sales, support and professional services personnel and allows the company to better serve its growing customer base in the UK.

Source: www.IPAWorld.com

...]]> Wed, 08 Aug 2012 09:17:29 +0200 C.H. Robinson Europe expands to Rotterdam with temperature controlled transportation office
Rotterdam was chosen for its strategic location thanks to its harbor that plays a key role in the import and export of goods on the continent

Brussels, (June 17, 2012) - Temperature controlled transport is one of the fastest growing business segments for the company on the European continent. The new office will offer expert services in this field and is meant to facilitate future expansion of temperature controlled logistics services across the continent.

Rotterdam was chosen for its strategic location thanks to its harbor that plays a key...]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:51:10 +0200 Expansion with Holland office to lead Corum’s Tech M&A activities in the Benelux area


Washington-based Corum Group Ltd, a provider of M&A (Mergers & Acquisitions) services for software and information technology companies, has announced the opening of its office in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

Working from the new office, Jon Scott, Senior Vice President, will lead Corum’s Tech M&A activities in the Benelux area.

About Corum Group Ltd
Corum Group Ltd is a provider of mergers & acquisition services, specialising in serving software and information technology companies worldwide.

Source: IPAWorld.com

...]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:49:57 +0200 The WestHolland Foreign Investment Agency and Leiden Bio Science Park proudly announce that EnVivo Pharmaceuticals will establish its European office in Leiden. The choice for Leiden Bio Science Park further underscores the international reputation of the Life Sciences cluster in Leiden.

The decision was made following an extensive analysis of potential locations for EnVivo to establish a European office for its operations. The proximity of Schiphol airport was an important advantage. The Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) in Boston and The Hague, together with the WestHolland Foreign Investment Agency (WFIA) and the Leiden Bio Science Park foundation, assisted and advised...]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:47:18 +0200 If you are from the EU/EEA (but not from Bulgaria or Romania) or from Switzerland, you are free to work without restrictions.

If you are from Bulgaria or Romania, or from a country outside the EU/EEA or Switzerland, there are some restrictions if you want to take a job next to your studies. You need a permit and you can only work for a maximum of ten hours a week or, instead, you can work full-time during the summer months June, July and August.

Work permit application
Your employer needs to apply for a work permit for you. The organisation...]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2012 13:18:04 +0200 Each year VU University organizes a career event for international students interested in starting a career in the Netherlands. During this event you are informed about career perspectives after obtaining an academic degree, PhD-positions, networking possibilities and practical advice on grants, immigration, residency and application procedures in the Netherlands.

Incorporated in this event is a career fair. Here, employment agencies and international businesses interested in attracting international young professionals and researchers present themselves and share their expertise. Moreover, a number of supporting organizations is present to answer your questions, such as the Dutch immigration service, VU Career Information Center and...]]> Tue, 07 Aug 2012 12:10:25 +0200  AMSTERDAM – A law which was passed not long ago may impose enormous risks on self-employed workers hiring other self-employed workers.
Freelance platform PZO warns about 36,000 euro fines for not registering properly. The Waadi law, (the law on workforce allocation by intermediary) was amended on the first of July in order to deal with mala fide employment agencies. But the PZO claims that the law is set up so that it leaves too much room, self-employed people hiring other freelancers also fall under this law, according to a spokeswoman interviewed by NUzakelijk.nl. “We were informed by an entrepreneur about...]]> Mon, 06 Aug 2012 10:07:26 +0200 The prestigious title of European Capital of Culture in 2018 will generate € 160 million for The Hague, according to an independent study by the Amsterdam-based Bureau voor Economische Argumentatie (BEA). The study was commissioned by Den Haag 2018 and the Municipality of The Hague to find out how the title would benefit the city’s economy.

In its report ‘Den Haag 2018, op waarde geschat’, the agency concludes that every euro invested by The Hague will generate 4 euros in return.


Extra visitors
If The Hague is appointed European Capital of Culture in 2018, this will draw a large number...]]> Mon, 06 Aug 2012 09:41:18 +0200 Germany is the main trading partner of 17 of the 27 EU countries. The main trading partner of Germany is the Netherlands.

Main trading partner often nearby
Germany is the main trading partner for no fewer than 17 EU countries. This is due to its central location in Europe, the enormous size of the German economy and the large number of neighbouring countries.

The EU countries for which Germany is not the main trading partner are: Portugal (main trading partner is Spain), Malta (Italy), Latvia (Lithuania), Ireland (UK), Spain (France), Estonia (Finland), Cyprus (Greece), Finland and Lithuania (both Russia). In...]]> Thu, 02 Aug 2012 23:21:12 +0200 AMSTERDAM - For the third time in a row London has been selected the most popular city to work. New York and Singapore ended on the second and third place. Global Talent Mobility Intelligence Group has questioned 162,000 people from 66 different countries. The preference of Dutch respondents who are willing to work abroad, deviates from the international choice. Dutch prove a stronger preference for European cities compared to respondents from other countries.

London and New York shared first place with Dutch. Barcelona, Brussels and Berlin share second place. Amsterdam ends at 23 position of the most popular cities to...]]> Tue, 31 Jul 2012 11:16:43 +0200 Although currently 6.3 percent of the workforce is unemployed, the research firm expects a lack of personnel in technical, medical care and transportation occupations. It involves a total of nearly 450 thousand jobs, of which about 250 thousand in SMEs.

Employment in the industry will have a limited increase. Especially the aging population creates demand for labor. In the period 2010 to 2020, about 1 million workers retire. The proportion of older people is above average in agriculture, healthcare, industrial and transport sectors.  Source: NuZakkelijk...]]> Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:16:58 +0200 Last year, 48 percent of employees in the health care sector had to cope with workplace aggression, versus 33 percent of all employees. Women were harassed more often than men, because they are more frequently employed in sectors where the number of external contacts is high.
Many customer contacts, more aggressive behaviour
Employees who have many contacts with patients, visitors, customers or pupils relatively often experience workplace aggression. In the sectors health care, public administration (e.g. the police), education and hotels and restaurants, aggression committed by external perpetrators is indeed more common. Last year, 24 percent of all employees faced...]]> Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:58:30 +0200 AMSTERDAM - Employers Organisation ABU and the unions have reached agreement on a new collective agreement for temporary workers. The collective agreement has a term of five years. That left the organizations said in a joint press release Thursday.

The most important clause in the new agreement is that the wages of all agency workers should be based on the salary that the hiring comany pays to its own employees.
Recruitment agencies may still determine the wages only for those employees who have permanant contractw u the the recruitment agency and for employees who have been long term unemployed or...]]> Tue, 24 Jul 2012 15:41:00 +0200 A total of 4112 businesses have been declared bankrupt in the first half of 2012. These bankruptcies affect at least 28473 employed people.
The number of bankruptcies has risen by 26% compared to the same period in the previous year. The attendant job loss has risen by 28%. This has become clear from figures from the company register of the Chamber of Commerce.

Biggest blows
Financial holdings suffer the biggest blows. 495 companies within this line of business have been declared bankrupt. Together with construction companies (230 businesses) and organization and consultancy agencies (80 businesses) it forms the top three...]]> Thu, 19 Jul 2012 17:10:34 +0200 Many of you, dear readers, might not have a clue of what getting a tourist visa means for a person that doesn’t hold a EU, USA or Canadian passport. Well, it is a nightmare. I guess it varies by nationality, but I’m Colombian and unfortunately we have quite a negative reputation associated with drug trafficking, therefore international travel policies are harsh on us. The average bureaucratic procedure requires a long series of letters, stamps and certificates that demand time, money and specially energy. The appointments at embassies and consulates have never made me feel comfortable at all, there is something...]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:32:50 +0200 Unemployment in the Netherlands!
I’ve been wondering lately if it’s possible or, let’s be more accurate, if it’s responsible to be dreaming about having holidays when you are unemployed?

As I had already mentioned in one of my previous posts, the fact that I don’t have a full time contracted job, doesn’t mean that I don’t keep myself busy (and I’m not saying busy like watching tv or painting my nails). My attempt to be proactive and keep myself engaged in different activities makes my head be spread all over, and sometimes trying to keep focused in various non-related projects each...]]> Tue, 17 Jul 2012 12:30:20 +0200 The volume of exports of goods increased by nearly 9 percent in May relative to twelve months previously. The growth rates of Dutch exports in April and March were nearly 6 and over 3 percent respectively. The volume of imports grew by nearly 7 percent in May, just as in April. The substantial growth of imports and exports was mainly due to an increased trade in mineral fuels. Volume figures have been adjusted for the number of working days.

July’s Exports Radar mainly shows downturns. In the previous months, circumstances for Dutch exports had also deteriorated.

The value of exported...]]> Fri, 13 Jul 2012 09:23:25 +0200 Josien Deknatel is the founder of Kickstart Language School She earned her teacher training in the Netherlands, but her teaching career has taken her to special places, and then back home to Holland. Her expat experiences have shaped her teaching and the core values of Kickstart

“Moving to a new country and getting used to a different culture and language is not an easy process,” says Josien. “I know because I’ve been there.”

Josien started teaching Dutch in London in the early 1990s at Linguarama and other language schools, plus two adult education colleges. Her teaching skills later carried over...]]> Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:54:16 +0200 THE HAGUE – In future, flex workers will receive sickness benefit for a shorter period.

The Dutch Lower Chamber will probably agree on a proposal put forward by Minister Henk Kamp of Social Affairs on Thursday. The proposal contains plans to economize the benefits for this group. This became clear in last Tuesday’s debate with the Minister. The term for flex workers’ sickness benefit is two years, the same term as for employees working under a permanent contract. Soon, the term will be defined by the number of years an employee has worked and the amount of his or hers...]]> Wed, 11 Jul 2012 16:24:32 +0200 THE HAGUE – An experiment in which cooperating businesses support employees who might be losing their jobs in finding new careers proves to be successful. Out of 650 employees whose jobs were hanging in the balance, 340 have started out somewhere else. It mainly concerns older workers.

Thinkstock
Minister of Social Affairs Henk Kamp communicated this to the Dutch Lower Chamber last Tuesday. The preliminary report shows the results of nine experiments which were started last year. These experiments are initiatives from trade unions and employers’ organizations. Helping companies find other work for employees in fear of losing their jobs...]]> Mon, 09 Jul 2012 19:13:04 +0200  
According to the latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands, inflation remained stable in June. Just as in May, consumer prices were on average 2.1 percent up from one year previously. •Fresh vegetables and holidays have upward effect on inflation
•Airline tickets have downward effect on inflation
•Eurozone inflation rate stable Prices of fresh vegetables and package tours abroad were respectively 2.2 and 5.8 percent higher in June than in June 2011.

Airline ticket prices, on the other hand, had a downward effect on inflation. They fell by 5.2 percent relative to June last year. On balance, the inflation rate in...]]> Fri, 06 Jul 2012 14:38:16 +0200 In primary and secondary schools classrooms are getting more crowded, as the number of pupils per teacher is increasing by 4%, said the junior Education minister Halbe Zijlstra in a parliamentary briefing on 3rd July.

Even though the number of pupils per class in falling, the number of teachers is decreasing disproportionately, reports DutchNews.nl. According to the HBO college council, applications for teacher training college was down by almost 11% compared to last year.

A spokesman for the council was reported by the website saying that these results are not surprising, since the entry requirements for the training have become...]]> Wed, 04 Jul 2012 12:53:59 +0200 AMSTERDAM – In recent years, the Dutch labour market has grown due to a record number of foreign investment projects.
This was shown in a global investment climate analysis from Consultancy Company IBM published last Thursday. In 2011, The Netherlands recruited 342 investment projects, the highest number of projects ever realised in one year. According to IBM this generates 6400 jobs, an increase of 22 per cent compared to the 5200 jobs generated in 2010.
China
Most of the companies settling in the Netherlands are American, representing 104 projects and 2600 jobs. In second place we find the United Kingdom...]]> Mon, 02 Jul 2012 13:57:33 +0200 Big Nerd Ranch will grow its renowned software development, teaching and corporate consulting business from a new Amsterdam headquarters. Its offerings will be backed by the strong brand known globally for its Nerds, their technical knowledge and teaching talent, and their monastic-retreat style of training.

Reaching for European business
Big Nerd Ranch announced it is opening its first international office to serve growing demand for its technical training and consulting services. Initially, the office will be staffed by five Nerds, with current projections forecasting that the team will double in size within a year.

Big Nerd Ranch
Big Nerd Ranch...]]> Fri, 29 Jun 2012 11:36:03 +0200



Page Personnel has been active in recruitment since 1994 and is now offering its services in 22 countries. How has the company evolved, particularly since its start in The Netherlands in 2002?
Page Personnel is part of the Michael Page Group, and specifically recruits for positions up to 45k per year in operational and junior management roles. While Michael Page exists in The Netherlands for 25 years now, we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this year.
Page Personnel The Netherlands started its activities 10 years ago when a director and consultant from Michael Page were approached to set...]]> Thu, 31 May 2012 10:38:48 +0200 THE HAGUE – Employees are more often given the chance to opt for fringe benefits, such as more days off, extra wages, training compensation or a supplementary pension.
A small minority of Dutch businesses offers their employees the possibility to create their own fringe benefit package. Other businesses have indicated to be planning this too. This became clear from research by employers’ organization AWVN performed under its members. The most important reason for employers to offer more options is to satisfy their employees better. Over three quarters of businesses state this is their motive. Larger businesses (over 500 employees) rate...]]> Wed, 27 Jun 2012 11:14:38 +0200 THE HAGUE – More flexible dismissal regulations will increase labour productivity by 0.4 percent, or an annual 2.5 billion euro increase in affluence.
Minister Henk Kamp of Social Affairs wrote this in a letter to the Lower Chamber. Minister Kamp has sent the Chamber the details of the plans to relax dismissal regulations stated in the ‘Lenteakkoord’ (Spring Agreement) by the VVD, CDA, D66, GroenLinks and the ChristenUnie. The cabinet is in agreement. According to minister Kamp these measures will make it easier for older workers to move on to another job. Now, they are often stuck in their current...]]> Wed, 20 Jun 2012 09:51:28 +0200 AMSTERDAM – Men do not cling to a structured work environment as much as women. This is why the new way of working is more suitable to them.
This conclusion was drawn by a publisher of personality tests after they had interviewed nine hundred respondents. “The work place at home is usually less structured than at the office”, according to psychologist Olaf Korsten of test publisher Talentlens. “This is an advantage to men”. The fact that men are better at handling the more flexible circumstances of working at home is also caused by the reason that they find personal independence...]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 16:53:27 +0200 The Hague – At no point in the last six years have there been more people out of work against their will than during the beginning of this year. In the first quarter of this year there were 883,000 people looking for a job for at least 12 hours a week.

Yet nearly half of them, 399,000 people, are not able to start straight away or is not looking for a job actively. This group usually consists of mothers and relatively younger people (up to the age of 45). This became clear from numbers published last Monday by the CBS...]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 10:08:59 +0200 CSM, Royal DSM and Delft University of Technology join forces to invest in bio-research

On May 15th The Bioprocess Pilot Facility (BPF) in Delft was officially opened. In this facility process development research can be facilitated in the entire field of biomass pre-processing, biomass pre-treatment, fermentation and downstream processing.

The BPF is an open access facility where other companies, universities, knowledge institutes etc. can execute their scale-up research on bioprocesses. The setup of this facility starts with equipment already existing on the site of DSM, which will be brought in into the Joint Venture where CSM, Royal DSM and Delft...]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:07:06 +0200 APM Terminals selects new location for The Hague Headquarters at ´De Kroon´

APM Terminals has signed a lease agreement for a new world headquarters at the De Kroon office building in The Hague. The company will lease 3,500 m² office space for an initial duration of ten years, with occupancy set for Q4 2012.

APM Terminals chose the site based on its city center location, providing employees, clients and business partners easy access to The Hague’s business district, hotel accommodations, restaurants and cultural activities. Equally important, was the ideal proximity to Central Station and frequent, direct, express train service to...]]> Fri, 15 Jun 2012 08:04:43 +0200 The Hague – The Netherlands performs well economically but in the field of competition and innovation it finds itself in Europe’s middle bracket. This became clear from a report from TNO research institute published last Friday.

Even though the Netherlands still invests in the development of the knowledge economy, the number of people working in the field of innovation has dropped below the EU average. An unfavourable development is especially seen in the technology and science labour market. Comparatively speaking, few students, and especially women, opt for science subjects. What is also remarkable, is that foreign companies foot the bill...]]> Tue, 12 Jun 2012 14:43:42 +0200
On 7 June 2012, the World Trade Centre The Hague was officially opened. The SANEC office is now part of WTC The Hague, located in office building Prinsenhof, part of The Hague New Centre. Minister under resignation Liesbeth Spies, mayor Jozias van Aartsen and chairman of WTC The Hague and SANEC Frans Engering, had the honour to officially open the WTC.

The organisation of WTC The Hague hosted a spectacular opening. After the guests of honour pushed the button, fireworks and abseiling stuntmen with green smoke ushered the opening of the WTC. A large number of representatives from the national...]]> Mon, 11 Jun 2012 16:25:26 +0200
LEADING JAPANESE HELMET MANUFACTURER OGK KABUTO ENTERS EUROPEAN MARKET

OGK KABUTO, the leading Japanese helmet manufacturer, and Mr Pam de Vries, former Ducati Motor Holding Director, have established a joint venture to bring KABUTO motorcycle products into the European market. KABUTO is the number one helmet Brand in Japan.

OGK KABUTO, located in Osaka, Japan, has a long-term objective to grow into a global player in the helmet industry, with the ambition to establish as an international market leader. As the European market is of great importance the company has joined forces with automotive professional, Mr Pam de Vries.

OGK...]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:52:30 +0200
Former corn plant converted

US agricultural commodities trader Cargill has officially begun production of bioethanol in a former corn plant in Bergen op Zoom, located in the southern part of the Netherlands.

The factory will process biomass by extracting starch into ethanol. Since 1987, Cargill has been producing starch and glucose for the food industry in that plant.

According to general manager Alain Dufait, the new production is a good example of innovation that contributes to the bio-based economy.

Source: Cargill press release, 1 June 2012
...]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2012 21:48:47 +0200 Celebrating exceptional expats, employers and newly arrived headquarters in the Netherlands

June 6, Nyenrode Business University: At an event last night at Nyenrode Business University, Emmy Coffey McCarthy, eBuddy, and Kuwait Petroleum were announced as the winners of Expat of the Year, Expat Employer of the Year, and Newly Arrived HQ of the Year respectively at the Expat Awards 2012.
The event was hosted by Paul Brown of WorldwideBrokers and included speeches by Bas Pulles and Serv Wiemers of the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA). The Awards garnered over 2,500 votes from the public, on which the shortlists were based,...]]> Wed, 06 Jun 2012 13:06:02 +0200 A couple of months ago, in a moment when I was feeling hopeless but determined to find a job regardless if it was something that I was passionate about or not, I applied to vacancies for jobs that don’t require academic qualifications such as cleaning offices and delivering post. Once again I was rejected: I didn’t have experience as a cleaner (naively I thought that keeping my house tidy and shiny was enough) and I was not able to speak Dutch. I remember a remarkable phone conversation with the hiring manager of the post service that drained away my determination....]]> Mon, 04 Jun 2012 09:25:20 +0200
The number of flex workers is growing continually. Between 2001 and 2011, the share of flex workers grew from 13 to 18 percent. Most flex workers are young. The economic situation strongly affects the number of flex workers.

Employment flex workers follows economic cycle
In the period 2004–2007, the economy boosted and the number of flex jobs grew substantially. The economy contracted in 2009 and the number of flex workers was reduced. When the economy is performing poorly, employees with flexible contracts are the first ones to lose their jobs, but the number of flex jobs declined less rapidly than...]]> Tue, 29 May 2012 10:22:26 +0200
IMD today announced the findings of its annual World Competitiveness Yearbook (WCY). The WCY rankings measure how well countries manage their economic and human resources to increase their prosperity. •Top 3 are Hong Kong, US and Switzerland
•Holland moves up from 14th to 11th position
•Foreign investment, rising exports, low youth unemployment and lack of red tape have boosted Dutch position
•US competitiveness remains the key to global recovery

May 31, 2012

The most competitive of the 59 ranked economies in 2012 are Hong Kong, the US and Switzerland (see overall rankings table below). Despite all its setbacks, the US...]]> Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:58:12 +0200
Analysis May:
The economic situation at the end of May was worse than at the end of April. This is mainly due to declining confidence among consumers and manufacturers, slumping household consumption and the poor situation on the labour market. Just as in April, the heart of the scatter in the Business Cycle Tracer is located in the recession stage. Thirteen of the fifteen indicators are currently below the level of their long-term average.

In the course of May, new data have become available for all indicators except for the number of bankruptcies. As a result, the distribution of the...]]> Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:47:00 +0200
Within the eurozone, the Dutch goods trade surplus is by far the largest compared to other euro countries (147 billion euro in 2011). The goods trade surplus with countries beyond the eurozone is much lower.

Quarter of GDP
The total value of goods exported by the Netherlands to other euro countries amounted to 294 billion euro last year . The value of imports from these countries was 147 billion euro, resulting in a trade surplus of 147 billion euro, i.e. nearly one quarter of the GDP.

Neighbouring countries contribute most to trade surplus
The 147 billion euro trade surplus is...]]> Fri, 01 Jun 2012 08:39:47 +0200
Please introduce yourself and GDCC
My name is Clarissa Baldwin and I am the Recruiter and Trainer here at GDCC. GDCC is a Global Data Collection Company that conducts market and opinion based research all over the world. We conduct computer aided telephonic interview surveys in a variety of subjects such as IT, finance, healthcare, etc. We have a 160 capacity in Rotterdam and we accommodate surveys in around 18 different languages with a focus on the main European languages. We also operate 40-seat capacity with our partnership venture in Malaysia QPA-GDCC from where we cover the Asia-Pacific region.

What...]]> Thu, 31 May 2012 11:02:16 +0200 The three main Dutch student organisation went to court on Monday with the aim of changing government plan to introduce a fine for those students who stay behind in their study.

According to the government proposal, which has already being voted by the majority of the Senate and the Tweede Kamer, students who take too long to complete the degree are to pay €3,000 fine every extra study year they take to complete their Bachelor.

This law would be retroactive: the fine would also apply to students who are already enrolled in University and have accumulated a delay. This point...]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 18:37:35 +0200
The investment made in research and development by chemical and biotechnical company DSM is a strong impulse for the Dutch knowledge economy. The investment of one hundred million euro will yield hundreds of extra jobs.
World’s Best
‘This causes the Netherlands to remain high in global ranking when it comes to agro food, chemical industry and energy’, according to the minister Verhagen of Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation. DSM’s decision shows that the Netherlands is the place for innovative business.
Tax Reduction for Innovative Businesses
DSM profits from the investment because of the tax reduction for innovating businesses at the...]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 11:26:08 +0200
So we hear all the time and everywhere about the importance of networking. I do believe in its relevance, specially in a case like mine that I’m not only trying to find a job but also to grasp and get involved with this place that is now my ‘other’ home (last time I went ‘back home’ to visit my family it felt weird, when filling out the immigration paper I got in the airport, to write under the country of residence field ‘The Netherlands’, followed by providing a Dutch address).

It’s definitely not going to happen much if I just...]]> Thu, 24 May 2012 09:32:30 +0200 AMSTERDAM – The Netherlands has climbed three steps on the global ranking list for employees wanting to work on an international level.
The recently published Global Talent Mobility Survey shows that the Netherlands is on the 11th place. Well over 162,000 people from 66 countries were interviewed by The Intelligence Group. In total, 19 percent of employees (382 million workers) with international ambitions prefer the Netherlands over other countries. Interviewees are able to state several preferred countries. According to researchers this increase is especially due to a number of well known Dutch multinationals and the pull of cities like Amsterdam...]]> Wed, 23 May 2012 13:01:56 +0200 LUXEMBURG – People earning the highest incomes pay the most income tax in Sweden, Denmark and Belgium, followed directly by the Netherlands and Spain.
This became clear from numbers published by the European Statistical Office Eurostat on Monday. In Sweden, Denmark and Belgium, workers earning the most pay respectively 56.6, 55.4, and 53.7 percent in taxes. Dutch and Spanish workers pay 52 percent. Workers on high income in the 27 European Union countries pay an average of 38.1 percent income tax. Company Tax is slightly higher in the Netherlands (25 percent) than the European average (23.5 percent). Company Tax in...]]> Wed, 23 May 2012 12:48:36 +0200 What was the motivation for starting the Undutchables?
More than 16 yeas ago me my friend Judith started this venture in an Amstelveen attic. She had worked in London as a recruiter and had observed how multilingual job agencies were very common there. When she returned to The Netherlands she started to work with a company that used to be one of her clients. This company focused on working with multilingual professionals but had trouble finding them and there was not an agency at that time doing this kind of business in The Netherlands. So we decided to give it...]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 22:43:16 +0200 Over the last ten years, the number of self-employed increased with over 200 thousand.  This growth is attributed entirely to writing self-employed without staff. Their number grew to 728 thousand persons in 2011, while the number of self-employed with staff remained stable at about 350 thousand people.

Almost 1.1 million self-employed persons

The total number of self-employed persons in the workforce to 65 years took in the period of 2002-2011 867 thousand to almost 1.1 million persons.
Also under active over-65 age group, the number of self-employed persons: 28 thousand of persons in 2002 to 47 thousand in 2011.

Especially...]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 11:26:17 +0200 The share of university student receiving a bachelor’s degree within 4 years has risen in the last few years. Women are graduating faster than men. Graduation rates are rising for science disciplines in particular.

Half of students have a bachelor’s degree within 4 years
Nearly half (49 percent) of first year university students in study year 2007/’08 had received their bachelor’s degree within 4 years. This is 9 percent points more than students staring university in 2004/’05. One possible explanation for this improvement is the introduction of the binding study advice at Dutch universities. In addition, the bachelor-before-master rule may...]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 11:20:50 +0200 AMSTERDAM – Two thirds of employees still do not know how much they will lose should the tax-free travel expenses be axed next year.
This became clear from research performed by the financial department of the ING published last Thursday. One in nine (11 percent) interviewees think they will probably be working at home more frequently. Half of the interviewees is of the opinion that the government should contribute to costs involved in commuter traffic. The tax-free travel expenses, which allows employers to reimburse 19 cents per kilometre tax-free, will be axed next year. In the future, employees will lose...]]> Tue, 22 May 2012 00:01:19 +0200
THE HAGUE – Every person receiving benefits must speak Dutch. This was stated by the VVD in a government proposal which will be submitted by Member of Parliament Cora van Nieuwenhuizen next Tuesday.
The VVD is of the opinion that people on social security should be able to speak Dutch at least as well as those integrating into Dutch society. According to the proposal, social security payment will be reduced to 80 percent should there be a reasonable suspicion that the person involved does not speak Dutch. After 6 months that percentage becomes 60 percent and if, after a period of...]]> Wed, 16 May 2012 09:54:27 +0200 There should be more focus on women in business organizations. Women make up an important part of the world economy but they are not doing well on the Dutch labour market. This appeal was made by a number of women today, the day after Mother’s Day.

The financial crisis is extra hard on women, according to initiator Annemie Schuitemaker. ‘Women are in a predicament and this is caused by a number of related reasons. The fact that childcare is becoming more and more expensive which puts pressure on women for instance. Research performed by the Commissie Gelijke Behandeling (the equal...]]> Mon, 21 May 2012 23:40:45 +0200 Consulting and research firm Great Place to Work announced for the 10th time the list of best employers in the Netherlands. More than 100 companies participated in the survey that measured and evaluated employers based on issues such as working conditions, development opportunities, rewards and leadership.

And the winner is…
The list is split into 3 categories: Large & Multinational Companies (LMNC with more than 250 employees), Medium Sized Enterprises (MSE with between 50 and 250 employees) and Small & Young Enterprises (SYE between 20 and 50 employees). Employees that participated in the survey had to answer questions like: how do the...]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 18:50:11 +0200 AMSTERDAM – The right job can play an important role in a person’s sense of happiness. A staggering 87 percent thinks that the right job adds to, or even determines their sense of happiness. This is shown by research performed by Monster under 2972 visitors to their website.
Well over half of the Dutch interviewees say that they believe that the right job is very important to their sense of happiness. Almost a third says that they believe it is somewhat important, and 17 percent state they only work in order to be able to pay the bills. German workers...]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 12:36:41 +0200
AMSTERDAM – Employees are dismissed more and more often because of statements and outbursts made public through social media.
According to an article by service provider Arag published in the AD last Monday. Research shows that one in three employers check their employees’ behaviour on Twitter and Facebook. A spokesperson says in the article, “It is quite easy for an employer to find out through Twitter or Facebook what his or her employees get up to in their spare time.” The Arag report shows that one in three employers check their staff’s behaviour. 10 percent of them even do this...]]> Mon, 14 May 2012 12:32:13 +0200

Hire me! A Diary Series

I find it hilarious when speaking to my grandpa (who is 94 years old and, as you can expect from a man of his age, is spending his days at home with no mayor occupations) and asking him to do me a favor he replies – ‘mmm I’ll see I don’t know if I can find the time to do that’. Ahh!? How is it possible that he comes up with this when we both know he spends his days doing ‘nothing’? I’m used to tease him by replying ‘ahh well, off course, doing nothing...]]> Fri, 11 May 2012 00:27:32 +0200
The UWV (Uitvoeringsinstiuut WerknemersVerzekeringen/JCP Jobcentre Plus) offers several ways of starting one’s own business while still being entitled to benefits. You will, however, have to make an appointment with your job coach before you start actual preparations for your own business. Please note: if you should register with the Chamber of Commerce before conferring with your job coach, your benefit payment will be terminated.

Starting up and retaining your benefits
The UWV has come up with a fantastic arrangement for people, who whilst retaining their benefits, want to set up their own company. You will need your UWV job coach to...]]> Wed, 09 May 2012 10:00:31 +0200
AMSTERDAM – Traditional collective pension funds should be replaced by compulsory individual savings accounts. The current system is far too unclear.
So stated by Lex Hoogduin, professor in monetary economics and former central banker with the Nederlandsche Bank, in an interview for NRC Handelsblad. According to Lex Hoogduin the current pension agreement should be replaced with a better alternative. According to the professor’s plans, all Dutch people will have a savings account holding all savings aimed at for instance their pension or housing. Source: NRC Handelsblad....]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 11:11:40 +0200
AMSTERDAM – Next year, the agreed rise of the high btw (VAT) tariff will cost each household approximately 15 euro each month.
The following year this amount will increase to approximately 27.50 euro. An economist working for the ING bank confirmed the news last Saturday in Het Parool. Comprehensive financial service ING has, at the request of this newspaper, calculated the consequences of this raised btw tariff (this tariff will be levied on most products and services). “Because most people will not be receiving a rise in pay in the coming years, almost everyone will be effected the higher prices”,...]]> Thu, 03 May 2012 10:57:14 +0200 How many interviews have you had till now? Still no job offer? Do you feel that it gets worse with each meeting? Well, you might be right. Interview gets old after a while and without even realizing you might be sabotaging yourself. It’s high time to change your approach.

The interviewer doesn’t know how many interviews you have been on. All they care about is the conversation you are involved in at the moment. The recruiters are often forced to sit across from someone tired and worn out from knocking on doors. If the recruiter suspects that you may be...]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 16:09:18 +0200

The Netherlands ranks high as a proper place where to start a company. What do you find are the advantages of setting a business here?
When I came to the Netherlands, in 1991, there was a time of recession. So I did not set up a business because it was easy to do so, but because I saw a gap in the market, which was for international recruitment companies. I had always worked in recruitment, and I noticed Holland was not very international back then. It was not easy to set the company, as Holland has a lot of rules...]]> Tue, 01 May 2012 14:55:58 +0200 The German mail-order firm Neckermann is getting rid of its paper catalogue and from now on will only sell via the internet. As a consequence of this new policy, 1400 of the 2500 jobs will be axed. This was announced by the company last Friday.

“The future lies in the internet for mail-order firms. It is a development that just cannot be ignored. Too much of our funds are now being spent on paper. This is stopping us from developing our website, www.neckermann.de”, according to the company. 80 percent of all orders are already placed online. During the first quarter...]]> Wed, 02 May 2012 12:32:56 +0200
AMSTERDAM – Europe wants to put a stop to the so-called PO Box companies.
Soon, foreign companies will not be allowed to just set up business on paper in the Netherlands because of the favourable tax climate. This means the Netherlands will miss out on approximately one and a half billion euro in tax income and thousands of jobs will be lost, according to the AD of last Friday. Large companies such as Google and IKEA but also rock bands such as U2 and The Rolling Stones have these PO Boxes in the Netherlands. In total there are approximately twenty...]]> Sat, 28 Apr 2012 10:48:39 +0200 FNV (Federation Dutch Labour Movement) wants permanent contracts after one year

AMSTERDAM – Every employee should automatically be offered the right to a permanent contract after having worked for the same employer for a year, according to the FNV.
The trade union stated so last Wednesday preceding the hearing on flexible labour and security in the Dutch Lower Chamber. The FNV, who so far mainly focussed its efforts on employees working with permanent contracts, is now looking to improve the position of flex workers. Catelene Passchier, the labour conditions coordinator for the FNV, is very concerned about the increasing number...]]> Fri, 27 Apr 2012 15:01:06 +0200
The happiest countries in the world are all in Northern Europe (Denmark, Norway, Finland, Netherlands). Their average life evaluation score is 7.6 on a 0-to-10 scale. The least happy countries are all poor countries in Sub-Saharan Africa (Togo, Benin, Central African Republic, Sierra Leone) with average life evaluation scores of 3.4. But it is not just wealth that makes people happy: Political freedom, strong social networks and an absence of corruption are together more important than income in explaining well-being differences between the top and bottom countries. At the individual level, good mental and physical health, someone to count on,...]]> Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:33:44 +0200 • Nearly all provinces showed economic growth in 2011
• Marginal decline in Zeeland due to downturn in chemical industry
According to the latest figures released by Statistics Netherlands, nearly all provinces achieved economic growth last year. North Brabant, Utrecht and Flevoland enjoyed the fastest economic growth, but in the province of Zeeland the economy contracted marginally.

The economy improved by 2.1 percent in North Brabant. The growth rate for Flevoland and Utrecht was 2 percent. The economic growth rates in these provinces were far beyond the nationwide average of 1.2 percent. Manufacturing industry contributed most to the economic growth...]]> Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:25:18 +0200
Lufthansa is launching a new route to Rotterdam The Hague Airport. From 1 October 2012, the twice-daily service will be operated from Munich. “With this new service we will offer our customers convenient connections to the economic region centred around Rotterdam and The Hague. These cities will also have direct links to other destinations in Europe and worldwide via our Munich hub,” says Thomas Klühr, Member of the Lufthansa German Airlines Board, Munich & Direct Services.

Rotterdam, which has a population of 600,000, is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and is the world's third-largest port. The airport is also...]]> Thu, 26 Apr 2012 22:55:59 +0200 Have you notice how relatively easy is for a recent graduate to get an internship in The Netherlands, in comparison to how hard is to find a JOB (yes in capital letters, just to emphasize the distinction)? At least that is the impression that I have after months of drifting thought the finding-a-job process. I don’t restrict my job searching to job listing websites and recruitment agencies, I also visit companies’ websites because is very common that they have their own vacancy page where you can find job posts that are not anywhere else advertized. And while I often come...]]> Mon, 23 Apr 2012 08:16:45 +0200
AMSTERDAM – In the Catshuis (the official residence of the prime minister), negotiators for VVD, CDA and PVV are discussing the possible change to or even the end of the tax-free mileage allowance for employees.

This was stated in an article published in the AD last Wednesday. Several different alternatives have been put to the CPB (Central Plan Bureau). Today, employees still receive 19 cents per kilometre from their boss but this amount may drop to 14 cents. According to the negotiators this is a realistic proposition, landing them 500 million euro. Putting a complete end to mileage allowance has...]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:22:40 +0200 STRATBOURG – The European Commission urges the Netherlands to open up its labour market fully to Rumanians and Bulgarians.
Employees from all 27 EU-countries should be treated equally. This is one of the many proposals put forward by the executive committee of the European Union last Wednesday in order to save the European labour market. The Netherlands does not stand alone in this matter. There are a total of nine EU countries that will not allow Rumanians and Bulgarians to work without a work permit. This is also the case in Germany.

Minimum wage
A plea for setting a minimum...]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 22:20:08 +0200
We leave our homeland in hope of a better live, a promise of a great future and persistence to make it abroad. Sometimes life throws us curveballs and doesn’t matter how much you would like to control your fate, we can only control how we react. Sacrifices. We all make them at crucial times of our lives. Some of us do it on a daily basis and the lucky ones can only read about it thanking god it isn’t them.

I always thought that leaving my country and moving to the Netherlands will make it easier for me to find...]]> Thu, 19 Apr 2012 14:25:54 +0200
A survey of the world’s largest importers and exporters of 2011 shows that the Netherlands was the fourth largest exporting country, worth 660 billion dollars, preceded by China (1899 billion dollars), the USA (1481 billion dollars), Germany (1474 billion dollars) and Japan at (823 billion dollars).
The Netherlands was the seventh largest importing country (597 billion dollars). This list was headed by the USA (2265 billion dollars), followed by...]]> Tue, 17 Apr 2012 16:06:17 +0200 In between of the ups and downs of my job hunting the idea of starting my own business has been constantly present. People around me have also been very encouraging about it; I even got as a present for my last birthday a book with ‘100 sales ideas’. I keep a little notebook where I write all my entrepreneurial thoughts and possible business projects but I still haven’t managed to figure out what exactly my company should offer and sell. With the aim of taking-charge of this fuzzy dream instead of waiting for the ‘great idea’ to come, I decided...]]> Tue, 17 Apr 2012 08:57:44 +0200
Blogs, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn - those media can help you find a new job or harm your e-image. The internet is not only a place to look up a candidate, but it has become a place where you can recruit one. Head hunters work in the virtual sphere to find the...]]> Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:00:39 +0200 You know, the kind of folks who take responsibility and then take
action, who don’t wait for a problem before they look for a solution.
The wish that employees would act more like owners is so commonplace it
is viewed as one of those “just the way it is," human nature problems.
I'd like to suggest, however, that this can and will change when owners
and managers first change their own thinking and expectations.

Although old-fashioned dictatorial, top-down, work/responsibility
relationships are slowly dissolving, many employer/employee roles...]]> Sat, 14 Apr 2012 09:02:33 +0200 I’m Laura, a visual artist with a Master in Arts. I came to The Netherland almost 3 years ago to pursue a Masters degree and after I finishing my studies I decided to stay (due to different reasons, but yeah, I admit it, love was the ultimate motivation). Since then I have found it difficult to find a position that matches my experience and aspirations.

Despite this, I have been extremely pro-active and have involved myself in many different activities, helping me to both expand my network and also create new opportunities for myself. I’m starting a diary to share with...]]> Thu, 12 Apr 2012 17:57:10 +0200
9 thousand less open vacancies in the  private sector than a quarter earlier. With 6 thousand the greatest decline was in commercial service. This remains the sector with the most vacancies (73 thousand). In industry and construction there were 12 thousand and 5 thousand respectively. The number of jobs at the Government came out on 7 thousand. This is slightly...]]> Thu, 12 Apr 2012 09:19:28 +0200
Employment in the horticultural sector remains stable
Employment in the horticultural sector and its suppliers has remained fairly stable over the period 2005-2010. There were 125 thousand jobs in 2010 versus 126 thousand in 2005. The number of jobs in the horticultural sector fell by nearly 8 thousand; more than 6 thousand jobs went to companies supplying products and services, e.g. contract workers, machinery and equipment.

Many jobs...]]> Fri, 06 Apr 2012 10:17:43 +0200 The concept of Liberal Arts and Sciences is an old one, dating back to the fifth Century. Back then, there were considered to be seven subjects: grammar, rhetoric, logic, music, arithmetic, astronomy, and geometry. Nowadays, bachelor courses of Liberal Arts and Sciences cover a wider area of subjects than the original seven, including law, economics, foreign languages, biology, history, and others, usually divided in the traditional tracks od Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences.

One of...]]> Wed, 04 Apr 2012 15:20:14 +0200
Yet holidays, as I am used to celebrate them, are a lot about families coming together, and, in the case of my homeland Romania, church ceremonies followed by insane amounts of traditional food. Holidays remain a time when I usually take a flight home and a deep breath away from Holland.
I realise I wasn’t so big on holidays when I was still...]]> Tue, 03 Apr 2012 16:21:51 +0200 The main concern of the expats involved in the survey is the difficulty in learning the language, which most likely weights negatively on the criteria of integration. The sample of the survey was mainly composed by USA, UK and French expats, who generally have difficulties learning other languages. However, anybody leaving in the Netherlands...]]> Wed, 28 Mar 2012 20:28:21 +0200 and safety firm, and its decision to pass confidential information about its clients on to employers. CBP, a privacy watchdog group, has called for an investigation and the company itself has vowed to being an internal probe into the situation.

According to Dutch law, only doctors employed by a company can ask why a worker is on sick leave. Zembla’s investigation reveals that Arbodienst has released private medical information to companies and that members of its call center staff...]]> Fri, 23 Mar 2012 16:04:14 +0100 According to results of the annual research done by the NSWO ( Dutch Society for Sleep - Wake Research), a quarter of all interviewees sometimes use stimulants in order to perform better at work. The chairman for the NSWO Hans Hamburger says that it is clear that sleep and work have an effect on one and another. The survey shows that 30 percent of all interviewees regularly...]]> Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:13:01 +0100 An agreement needs to comply with three requirements for it to be a labour agreement: the employee himself carries out work for the employer; the employer pays the employee for the work carried out; there is an authority relationship between the employer and the employee. A labour agreement may be arranged either in writing or verbally. However, it is wise to have a labour agreement in writing. There are some advantages to having the labour agreement in writing because a number of rights and duties are then recorded....]]> Thu, 22 Mar 2012 13:03:01 +0100
After rounding up my studies and getting all the residence paperwork done, I approached the quest for work systematically, registering...]]> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 17:59:25 +0100
This year Madison Parker International, global recruitment consultants based in Voorburg, celebrate their ten year anniversary. We spoke to Ray Parker, founder and Managing Director about the changes in the industry since he started the business in 2002 and his thoughts on what the future holds for the company.

What motivated you to set up Madison Parker?

It had always been an ambition to have my own business and although I had previously experienced two start-up situations I found myself at the right time and place to realise this goal even though the global economies were reeling from the effects...]]> Wed, 21 Mar 2012 09:49:57 +0100
Linda Groener, the co-owner of the job board for internationals “Together Abroad”, says that for many companies a key business challenge is not the slow economy but talent shortage” Companies that innovate and export to emerging markets outside the European Union are...]]> Tue, 20 Mar 2012 16:16:47 +0100
But even tough I knew it was not going to...]]> Tue, 20 Mar 2012 11:28:44 +0100 So I soon did it again, one year after my return, as a master’s...]]> Fri, 16 Mar 2012 09:36:10 +0100
The Council of State argues that Dutch citizens are not “less connected” to the Netherlands if they move...]]> Thu, 15 Mar 2012 13:32:20 +0100 Where jobseekers mainly refer to online recruitment sites (95%) and temping agencies (83%) when looking for work, SME entrepreneurs mainly use their own websites (65%) and their own private network (53%) when looking for staff. Jobseekers directly checking the website of a company is only found in seventh place according to the TNO (Dutch Organization for Applied Scientific Research) and employment agency Unique’s MKB Marktmonitor (SME Market Monitor) of 2011/2012. Social Media
Social media are used by...]]> Wed, 14 Mar 2012 18:54:22 +0100 Culture

At first, adapting to your new country may be challenging...]]> Mon, 12 Mar 2012 21:23:27 +0100 This became clear from research ordered by minister Henk Kamp (Social Affairs) into new labour instructions for the UWV when dealing with resignation requests. From September to December last year, 13 resignation requests for a total of 85 employees, were put forward to the UWV. In these cases employers wanted to switch over to temporary contractors, temporary workers and self-employed persons.
12 requests were denied because it had not been made reasonably clear that there would be...]]> Thu, 08 Mar 2012 15:43:05 +0100 The findings come as a shock because a decline this severe is unprecedented. During previous economic downturns in the country, the number of contracts remained relatively steady.

A spokesman from the UWW, which serves as the Dutch government’s job center and benefits payment agency, told the Daily Trouw that the dramatic 97% drop “may have something to do with the continuing uncertainty hanging over the market but...]]> Wed, 07 Mar 2012 14:58:21 +0100 More young Wajong benefit recipients
The number of under-27 Wajong (Income Provision Act for Disabled Young People) claimants has grown further in the first six months of 2011, but the number of completely disabled among Wajong recipients has declined.

75 thousand young people receive Wajong benefits
By the end of June last year, 75 thousand under-27s received Wajong benefits, i.e. nearly 4 thousand more than at the end of 2010. The increase relative to June 2007 is 25 thousand. The number of young Wajong claimants has risen for a considerable period of time now.

More young men than young women...]]> Sun, 04 Mar 2012 16:56:49 +0100 During last year’s final quarter TUI’s loss amounted to nearly 88 million euro, 89 percent more than the previous year.
Turnover dropped by 5 percent to over 3.4 billion euro. TUI also lost on their investment in container shipping company Hapag-Lloyd to the amount of 9 million euro.
Senior official Michael Frenzel expects a modest increase over the entire financial year’s result. The financial year ends at the end of September.

Nu.nl ANP
...]]> Thu, 01 Mar 2012 23:41:45 +0100
This was put forward by Kamp during a debate in the Lower Chamber. He is looking forward to the hearing on flexibility and security in the labour market being held this spring in the Chamber. Kamp announced that the cabinet will display ‘our opinion on flexible labour’, so that he will be able to discuss the matter further before summer....]]> Wed, 29 Feb 2012 21:45:32 +0100 Fri, 16 Mar 2012 17:42:36 +0100 The regional differences between the export capacities of Overijsselse regions are limited, however Twente...]]> Wed, 29 Feb 2012 14:55:41 +0100 The economy shrank with 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter compared to the previous year. Since the decline already amounted to 0.4 percent in the third quarter, the Netherlands is now officially in recession. A recession is in effect when the gross domestic product decreases two quarters running. According to the CBS, the decline is largely attributed to a further decline in household consumption. The economic growth for the whole of 2011 will amount to 1.2 percent.
Source NUzakelijk
...]]> Tue, 28 Feb 2012 08:06:25 +0100 This is stated in the report Labour Demand of the SCP (Social Cultural Plan Bureau) which was presented to chairman Bernard Wientjes of the employers union VNO-NCW last Tuesday.

Employers have, in the course of the years, built in more flexibility in their work force. In 2009, 13 percent of employees had a short or long running contract. Employees who have a temporary (longer than one year) contract are replaced...]]> Mon, 27 Feb 2012 17:06:50 +0100
Stage A includes people working for temp agencies on a contract basis without regular terms of employment. In stage A, it is easier for both parties – employer and employee – to terminate...]]> Sat, 25 Feb 2012 00:30:04 +0100
Minister for Foreign Trade & Agriculture, Henk Bleker, is very content with these foreign investments: 'It shows that the Netherlands still has a favorable investment climate. Companies favor the Netherlands for its position as a stepping stone into Europe, its language and educational skills, as well as its fiscal climate....]]> Fri, 24 Feb 2012 15:44:28 +0100
How can recruiters attract foreign workers?

You can start by communicating the advantages of working in the Netherlands. Most Dutch people speak English which makes is a lot...]]> Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:09:36 +0100
More immigrants from EU countries

Immigration numbered 160 thousand last year, i.e. 6 thousand more than in 2010. The growth is almost entirely due to immigration from other EU countries. With 64 thousand, of whom 19 thousand natives from Poland, four in every ten immigrants came from one of the...]]> Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:38:40 +0100 The unemployment within Western foreigners has also slightly increased, to 7.1 percent.

The marginal unemployment growth in the population with a non-western background was most obvious among over-25s. The rate among young people with a non-western ethnic background remained stable relative to 2010 at...]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:17:01 +0100 Employers’ organizations VNO-NCW and MKB-Nederland have stated this in a report which was written together with other organizations and Dutch businesses and sent to the government. A parliamentary debate on labour migration is scheduled for next Tuesday.

The employers’ organizations aim is to counter the recent negative reports on illegal work and bad housing for migrants.
“On balance, labour migration leans toward the positive and should not be determined by negative events. The solution is...]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:43:21 +0100