A new study by the Intelligence Group shows that the Dutch labor market employs around 1.7 million foreign workers, far more than the government’s estimate of 220,000 to 700,000. The number of undocumented individuals from third-world countries is the hardest to estimate since they are usually not even recorded in most databases.
“The discussion about labor migration is based on figures that systematically underestimate reality,” said Geert-Jan Waasdorp, director of the labor market at Intelligence Group. “Due to registration gaps, definition limitations, and outdated data, we only have a small picture of what is actually happening in the Dutch labor market.”
The scale of immigration and the pressure it places on Dutch society continue to grow, while the government faces criticism for failing to maintain control and prioritizing new benefit schemes over basic security concerns.
In Utrecht’s Overvecht district, an 18-year-old asylum seeker stabbed a woman on September 19th. The victim survived, and the suspect was later arrested. The incident followed the fatal stabbing of ‘Lisa from Abcoude,’ another case involving an asylum seeker that has fueled public concern over security in Dutch cities.
Around Utrecht’s Bollendak area near the central station, repeated stabbings, fights, and thefts have left residents and commuters feeling unsafe. The city’s mayor, Sharon Dijksma, warned that local governments are at their limits. “I am deeply concerned that we in Utrecht, but also in other municipalities, are entering a downward spiral,” she wrote to the city council. She called on The Hague for stronger national support and resources to manage “disruptive and criminal individuals” within the asylum system.
While cities struggle to contain the situation, political attention has shifted toward expanding financial access for minority groups. The DENK party has proposed introducing a “halal mortgage”—an interest-free home loan designed for Muslims who are prohibited by Islamic law from paying or receiving interest.
Party leader Stephan van Baarle said the measure is necessary because “too many Dutch Muslims and many others who don’t want to participate in the interest-based system can’t buy a home because of the interest on a mortgage.” He added that his party is “strongly committed to making this measure legally permitted as soon as possible” and that “the halal mortgage, the interest-free mortgage, should become part of government policy without delay.”
The proposal has stirred debate ahead of the October 29th general elections, with critics arguing that national resources should first address housing shortages, labor pressures, and security challenges. With just days to go for the elections, polls are showing Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration PVV in the lead, highlighting that locals are fed up with the current state of the country.
