Amsterdam trial helps 332 asylum seekers find paid work
The municipality is continuing the approach, but an independent evaluation warns that placements alone say little about sustainable employment.
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Since February 2025, 332 participants in an Amsterdam trial have found paid work. A further 312 asylum seekers have, according to the municipality, taken a concrete step towards work, such as looking for a vacancy or sending a CV.
So far, 1,017 people have taken part in the ‘Asylum Seekers into Work’ trial. According to the municipality of Amsterdam, more than six in ten participants have found paid work or taken a step in that direction. The municipality presented the figures on Monday and sees them as reason to continue the approach.
The trial is intended for asylum seekers who are still waiting for a decision on their application. The municipality, COA and UWV work together on guidance. The municipality matches participants with employers and helps them, among other things, to find suitable work and complete the necessary procedures.
The figures come from the municipality itself. Amsterdam does not report how many hours the participants work, how long their jobs last, which sectors they enter or how many later look for work again. It is also not known how many participants would have found a job without the trial.
That distinction is important. Earlier this year, Platform31 wrote, based on research into looking for work during the asylum procedure, that the number of placements alone says little about the quality and sustainability of work. According to the knowledge organisation, a proper assessment also requires data on employment relationships, drop-out, the suitability of jobs and the experiences of employers and employees.
Asylum seekers in the Netherlands generally need an employment permit to take paid work. According to the Dutch government, their asylum application must have been under consideration for at least six months. The employer applies for the permit from UWV and must, among other things, demonstrate that the pay meets the statutory requirements.
The cabinet wants to reduce the waiting period for asylum seekers with a strong chance of obtaining a residence permit to three months. That plan is not yet a general rule. For some groups, including asylum seekers from safe countries, restrictions on access to work have also applied since new European rules were introduced.
Amsterdam wants to continue the trial as regular policy after the current year. The municipality is also calling for a notification requirement instead of an employment permit, following the example of displaced people from Ukraine. According to Amsterdam, this would lower the threshold for employers, but the national government will decide on such a change.
One story, several perspectives
What is established
- In Amsterdam, 1,017 asylum seekers took part in the trial; according to the municipality, 332 found paid work and 312 took a concrete step towards work.
- Under the current national rules, asylum seekers generally have to have been in the procedure for at least six months and hold an employment permit.
- The municipality wants to continue the approach and is asking the national government to replace the permit requirement with a notification requirement.
Left
Arguments The government should give asylum seekers access to paid work and guidance as quickly as possible, because prolonged waiting wastes talent and hinders participation. A notification requirement and public support could lower thresholds for employers.
Values Equal opportunities, human dignity, integration and protection against exclusion.
Consequences Faster access to work can promote language acquisition and independence, but requires structural funding and oversight of employment conditions.
Centre
Arguments The Amsterdam approach deserves to continue, but expansion should be based on better data on working hours, suitable work and longer-term outcomes. Permits can be simplified as long as checks on pay and labour rights are maintained.
Values Practicality, legal certainty, evaluation and administrative responsibility.
Consequences A step-by-step approach limits risks and makes it possible to adjust policy without prematurely stopping successful guidance.
Right
Arguments Work should be possible for people who are demonstrably allowed to stay and meet the conditions, but access to the labour market must not get ahead of the asylum procedure. The government must prevent employers from using cheap labour and must continue to distinguish between applications with a strong and weak prospect of success.
Values Manageability, compliance with rules, protection of the labour market and public support for migration policy.
Consequences Stricter admission and monitoring can limit abuse, but may also mean that staff and potential remain unused for longer.
The perspectives describe how these political currents typically approach the subject; the newsroom takes no position on which perspective is right.
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The key figures can be found directly in the municipality of Amsterdam’s recent publication. The context on permits and restrictions has been confirmed by the Dutch government and UWV; the evaluation’s limitations are based on Platform31.
- confirmed Since February 2025, 1,017 asylum seekers have taken part in the Amsterdam trial. — Mentioned in the municipality of Amsterdam’s publication. source
- confirmed 332 participants have found paid work. — Mentioned in the municipality of Amsterdam’s publication. source
- confirmed 312 participants have taken a concrete step towards work. — Mentioned in the municipality of Amsterdam’s publication. source
- confirmed 644 of the 1,017 participants fall into one of the two categories, or more than six in ten. — Sum of the two municipal figures; 644 divided by 1,017 is approximately 63 per cent. source
- confirmed The trial involves the municipality, COA and UWV. — The cooperation is described in the municipality’s reporting and the pilot’s background information. source
- confirmed Placement figures alone say little about the sustainability and quality of work. — Platform31 cites working hours, drop-out, suitability and experiences as additional information required. source
- confirmed An employment permit (TWV) is generally required for paid work, and the application must have been under consideration for at least six months. — The Dutch government’s current guidance mentions both conditions. source
- confirmed The cabinet wants to reduce the waiting period for certain asylum seekers from six to three months. — The Dutch government describes this as a cabinet plan, not as a rule already applying generally. source
- confirmed UWV calls Greater Amsterdam an important region for TWVs for asylum seekers. — This is stated in UWV’s publication on employment permits. source
Editor's note
The numbers of participants, people in work and further steps come from the municipal report. The independent contextual source confirms that placements do not provide a complete picture; information on sectors, working hours, job retention and participant selection is missing.Sources
- Amsterdamse proef helpt 644 asielzoekers richting werk — Gemeente Amsterdam
- Werk zoeken in de asielprocedure: belemmeringen en kansen — Platform31
- Mogen asielzoekers werken? — Rijksoverheid
- Tewerkstellingsvergunningen voor asielzoekers — UWV
More on this in Dutch media
- AD — „asielzoekers werk”
- de Volkskrant — „asielzoekers werk”
- RTL Nieuws — „asielzoekers werk”