The cabinet’s strict immigration policy is one of the main reasons why companies in Eindhoven are having such trouble recruiting well-qualified technical staff, according to a report by ABN Amro economists and TNS Nipo.

The report was drawn up for the lobby group of the region’s high-tech sector Brainport Eindhoven.
The economists said that the introduction of compulsory citizenship exams for non-Western skilled workers was a sign of the hardened political attitude towards foreigners. ‘Strict entry criteria have pressured the Netherlands’ image as a hospitable country worth investing in,’ the report said.