Foreign-owned firms in the Netherlands spent one third more on their staff than the average company between 2001 and 2005, according to new figures from the national statistics office CBS.

By contrast, Dutch-owned firms spent 5% less than the average on their workforce.
Companies from the US spent 70% more than the average on their workers, while Japanese companies were 51% above average.
CBS researchers said the difference may be due to the fact that foreign firms treat their Dutch staff the same as workers in their home country. Foreign firms also tend to concentrate on high-paying sectors.