Diversity policy in employment and service provision - Case study: Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Amsterdam is the largest city in the Netherlands, with 743,104 inhabitants (January 2007). Although The Hague is the seat of government, Amsterdam is the capital of the country. Immigration to Amsterdam isas old as the city itself. The proportion of foreign born nationals in Amsterdam was consistently about 30% of the total population in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the beginning of the 20th century, immigration was at its lowest point, but it increased again from 1960 onwards. The proportion of indigenous Dutch people is 51% (January 2007). The other half of the population is a mixture of western (14%) and non-western groups (34%). Of the non-western groups, 58% are first generation immigrants and 42% are second generation. Surinamese and Moroccans are the largest ethnic groups.