Returning Dutch boost influx into Netherlands
An influx of Dutch citizens returning home and other European Union members attracted by the strong economy led to an increase last year in new residents in the Netherlands, the national statistics office said on Monday.
Statistics Netherlands said some 101,000 people immigrated to the Netherlands in 2006, almost 10,000 more than in 2005, and marking the first increase in six years.
The biggest groups were Dutch people and their offspring returning to their home country, followed by people from EU members Poland and Germany, the statistics office said.
Almost a third of those coming in were EU citizens, many of them attracted by the expanding economy and easier access to the job market after labour laws were softened, the agency said.
Fewer people came from traditional emigrant countries such as Turkey, Morocco and Suriname.
Read full article: Reuters, 17 April 2007
