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The issues of employment for asylum-seekers and people from ethnic minorities are under discussion in the Netherlands in early 2000. Although research indicates that many employers are failing to comply with legislation aimed at stimulating ethnic minority participation in the labour market, a number of them are seeking increased employment opportunities for asylum-seekers. The FNV trade union confederation and the Central Body for Asylum-Seekers Relief (COA) support efforts to expand employment for asylum-seekers.
According to a recent Ministry of Social Affairs study, employers are failing to comply with legislation designed to stimulate participation in the labour market by people from ethnic minorities (NL9805176F). Around half of the companies surveyed did not satisfy the legal information and registration requirement in their annual report, citing it as unnecessary "red tape". For those companies that did register, 70% showed no increase in the percentage of people from ethnic minorities in the total number of employees, compared with 77% for companies that failed to register. In 1998, the year in which the study was conducted, 16% of people from ethnic minorities were unemployed, compared with 6% of the entire economically active population. The Ministry now concludes that the legislation has exerted little influence on the position of people from ethnic minorities in the labour market. While awareness of the problem has increased in companies, only a handful have actually adapted personnel policies or applied affirmative action measures to give job-seekers from ethnic minorities priority. Nevertheless, ethnic minority participation in the labour market has risen over the past few years as a result of the tight labour market.
The bipartite Labour Foundation (Stichting van de Arbeid) has been considering the issue of employment for asylum-seekers, raised by the government, during early 2000 (NL9909163N). A number of employers' representatives, particularly from small and medium-sized businesses, are seeking to expand employment for asylum-seekers, by allowing them to work for up to 25 weeks a year. Although the largest employers' association, VNO-NCW, is extremely reluctant, support from the Dutch Trade Union Federation (Federatie Nederlandse Vakbeweging, FNV), the Netherlands' largest union confederation, makes it likely that agreement will soon be reached within the Foundation. This will put the Foundation at odds with the cabinet, which proposes a 12-week annual employment period. A key issue in determining the permitted duration is whether asylum-seekers can accumulate social security rights through their employment, which is not the intention of the cabinet and employers. Asylum-seeking employees are covered only by health insurance and entitlement to disability benefits during the term of employment. The proposed 25-week annual employment period does not involve right to unemployment benefits.
The Central Body for Asylum-Seekers Relief (Centraal Orgaan opvang Asielzoekers, COA) is enthusiastic about the employment initiative, based on the experiences of asylum-seekers. Earlier experiences of seasonal labour appeared successful for all participants, and computer training is also in great demand. Studies from the Employment Service (Arbeidsvoorziening) and FNV show that many asylum-seekers are highly educated and wish to find jobs in the service, information and technology sectors, where qualified employees are scarce and employers are eager to hire asylum-seekers. FNV and COA wish to cooperate with the initiative, but both organisations emphasise that refugees must also have the chance to compete if the labour market slackens.