Record number of jobs thanks to foreign investments
United States remains most important source for FDI projects
In 2013 the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency (NFIA) was actively involved in supporting 193 foreign investment projects that landed in the Netherlands. These projects are good for a total investment of € 1.7 billion in the Dutch economy and a record number of nearly 8,500 jobs. Additionally, a recent survey amongst foreign investors in the Netherlands also showed an increase in their appreciation of the Dutch investment climate.
Attractive business climate
‘The attraction of the Dutch business climate for foreign investors is a distinctive factor for employment in the future. The record number of Dutch jobs created by foreign investments last year, shows that the Netherlands has an attractive and competitive investment and business climate. We can all profit from that,’ according to the minister of Economic Affairs Henk Kamp, who is jointly responsible for the NFIA together with minister for Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation, Lilianne Ploumen.
Embassies make the Netherlands stronger
Minister Ploumen is also pleased: ‘These great results show that foreign investments bring in domestic jobs. Especially in these times we cannot have enough of those. Efforts by the NFIA and embassies abroad usually remain invisible, however these results show how much they make the Netherlands stronger.’
New jobs and job retention
In 2012 foreign investments were good for just over 5,000 jobs. Annual results for 2013 show an increase of more than 60% to 8,500. Examples of projects that resulted in new jobs or job retention over the past year are amongst others Nunhems from Germany (500 jobs in R&D), Moduslink (500 jobs in distribution) and IBM (350 service center jobs) from the US, Indian IT company Wipro (250 service center jobs) and Swedish SKF (100 new R&D jobs).
United States remains most important source for FDI projects
Most investment projects (75) come from Asia, followed by North America (70) and Europe (34). A rise in the number of projects from Europe is particularly noticeable: nearly threefold from 12 to 34 projects. The United States (US) as a country remains the most important source for FDI projects (64), followed at a distance by China (26), South Korea (15), the United Kingdom (13) and India (11). The US is also the source for most jobs and the highest investment amount. The results show that the Netherlands scores highly on projects in marketing & sales, distribution and headquarter functions. The number of distribution projects grew substantially, from 21 to 35. R&D activities are also rising, the number of projects nearly doubled from 11 to 18. And though still small in number of projects, data centers are a growing segment as well, from one project in 2012 to six in 2013.
Standing still is not option
More than half of foreign companies in the Netherlands rate the Dutch business climate as good to excellent. Only 6% considers it poor to inadequate. This was confirmed by a recent NFIA survey carried out amongst more than 600 foreign companies, of which initial results were presented with this press release. Moreover, rating of virtually all location factors has risen. Minister Kamp: ‘Global competition for FDI and employment is substantial and growing continuously. The Netherlands offers an attractive business climate. But standing still is not option. In the years to come, the Dutch government will continue to dedicate itself to maintain a business climate that remains ahead of the competition. We do this by investing in decisive location factors for foreign companies such as a well-educated labor force, an excellent physical and digital infrastructure, good amenities and further reduction of administrative burdens.’
Source: Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs press release, 17 March 2014
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