Only One in Five Refugee Women in the Netherlands Has a Job — The Dutch Government Is Now Acting
The Hague, 29 May 2026
The Netherlands is piloting a targeted employment programme for female status holders across ten cities, as just 22% currently hold paid work — a striking gap the government is determined to close.
A Decade of Data Reveals a Persistent Gap
Between 2014 and 2024, approximately 70,000 women were granted a residence permit — known in Dutch as a verblijfsstatus — in the Netherlands [1]. Of that group, just 22% are currently in paid employment [1]. To put that figure in context, the employment rate among male status holders sits at just under 50% [1], meaning women with residence permits are working at a rate that is more than twice as low as their male counterparts. The gap is stark, but the direction of travel is encouraging: between 2022 and 2024 alone, the share of working female status holders rose from 17% to 22% [1], a meaningful increase that suggests the right conditions and support can make a real difference. That improvement — a rise of 5 percentage points in just two years — demonstrates that progress is entirely possible when the focus is right.
Why Women Face Greater Barriers to Employment
The reasons behind the lower employment rate among female status holders are multiple and interconnected [1]. Many women arriving in the Netherlands have not worked in their country of origin, meaning they may lack formal work experience and professional skills that Dutch employers recognise [1]. At the same time, the challenge of combining childcare and household responsibilities with job seeking is a significant practical obstacle — one that is disproportionately felt by women [1]. Language barriers and unfamiliarity with Dutch working culture further complicate the picture [GPT]. Crucially, research also shows that female status holders receive less support in finding employment compared to men, and they are more likely to remain on long-term social assistance (bijstand) as a result [1]. This combination of structural and practical hurdles is precisely what the new pilot programme aims to dismantle.
Ten Cities, One Clear Mission
On Friday, 29 May 2026, Minister Thierry Aartsen (Work and Participation) announced that a targeted pilot programme would begin in ten Dutch municipalities to specifically address employment among female status holders [1]. The ten cities participating are Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, Nijmegen, Enschede, Leiden, Zwolle, Alphen aan den Rijn, Barneveld, and De Liemers [1]. The approach being rolled out is one developed by the HAN University of Applied Sciences (Hogeschool Arnhem-Nijmegen), whose own research underpins the methodology [1]. One of the key findings from HAN’s research is that guiding women towards work is more effective when done in a group setting rather than on an individual basis [1]. Group programmes foster peer support, shared learning, and a sense of community — factors that can be particularly valuable for women who may feel isolated during the integration process [GPT]. The pilot is financially supported by the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment (Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid) [1].
What This Means if You Are Currently in the Asylum Procedure
For women currently going through the asylum procedure in the Netherlands, this news carries an important and hopeful message. Once a residence permit (verblijfsvergunning) is granted, the expectation from the Dutch government is clear: newcomers — both men and women — are expected to participate in Dutch society as quickly as possible, and paid work is central to that [1]. As Minister Aartsen stated on 29 May 2026: ‘The best way to be part of our society as quickly as possible is to be working. Then you contribute to our community, you learn the language, and you make as little use of benefits as possible. That is good for integration and for our economy. It is also what we expect of newcomers, men and women alike.’ [1] The minister has also indicated that the approach will be expanded to many more municipalities beyond the initial ten before the summer [1], suggesting that access to this kind of targeted support will grow significantly in the months ahead. The emphasis on discovering individual talents and passions — a core element of the HAN methodology — means this is not a one-size-fits-all programme, but one designed to recognise each woman’s unique strengths and potential [1]. The view that international talent is not a threat but a solution is one increasingly shared across the region [2], and this pilot represents a concrete policy step in that direction.