Who are the internationals in Amstelveen?

Amstelveen has a large international community. To ensure that international residents can live and work in the municipality comfortably, the local authority wanted to gain deeper insight into this group. Using CBS Microdata, Decisio mapped out who the internationals in Amstelveen are, where they live and work, and how their numbers have developed since 2018.

More knowledge workers than labour migrants

In 2018, more than 9,000 economically active internationals lived in Amstelveen. Around 70 per cent of them were knowledge workers and 30 per cent labour migrants. This (very) high share of knowledge workers is striking, as in most Dutch municipalities the proportion of labour migrants is usually higher. Asians are overrepresented among international employees: almost half of all internationals are Asian. The main countries of origin are India, Japan and China. Within Europe, the largest groups come from the United Kingdom and Germany.

5,000 international children

In 2018, a total of 5,120 international children lived in Amstelveen, compared with 2,640 in 2010. Since 2010, this number has grown by an average of 9 per cent per year. Proportionally, there are more children of knowledge workers than of labour migrants: roughly four in five children have a parent who is a knowledge worker. Most children are between 4 and 12 years old.

Nearly one thousand international students

In 2018, 960 international students were living in Amstelveen. Slightly more than a quarter of them worked alongside their studies. The international student population is highly diverse in terms of nationality. The largest groups come from Germany, China and Spain.

More than one thousand status holders

Amstelveen accommodated 1,390 status holders in 2018 (compared with 690 in 2010). Since 2010, this number has increased by an average of 8 per cent per year. More than half of all status holders are men, and most fall within the 25–39 age group. Around a quarter originate from Syria, Eritrea and Iran.

Income-dependent partners are mainly women

In 2018, Amstelveen had 1,270 income-dependent partners; in 2010 this number was just under half of that. Nearly nine in ten are women, and most are between 26 and 45 years old. At least 60 per cent of income-dependent partners are Asian.

From cluster analysis to policy

In addition to the analyses above, Decisio carried out a cluster analysis for the municipality of Amstelveen. This data‑mining method identifies groups based on a combination of characteristics, aiming for maximum similarity within groups and maximum difference between them. Five clusters were identified:

1. Predominantly Indian singles, aged 30–39, average length of stay (3–5 years), (above-)average income.
2. Predominantly Indian couples (without children), aged 30–39, shorter length of stay (up to 2 years), average income.
3. Predominantly Anglo‑Saxon couples (with children), aged 50–59, very long length of stay (more than 10 years), well above‑average income.
4. Predominantly Japanese and Chinese couples (with children), aged 40–49, average length of stay (3–10 years), well above‑average income.
5. Predominantly Asian and European singles, aged 20–29, very short length of stay (up to 2 years), below‑average income.

This approach offers a different perspective on internationals than classifications based on a single characteristic such as nationality, income or migration motive. The insights help the municipality prepare for policy questions relating to housing, education and sport, social cohesion, and communication with international residents.

More information?

For more information about what Decisio can offer in the field of international employees & organisations and data analysis, please contact Gerwin van der Meulen.