The Netherlands attracted 113 companies to set up operations on Dutch soil last year, an increase of just one on 2005, according to new figures from the economic affairs ministry. Foreign investment in the Netherlands totalled €357m, well down on the 2005 figure of €505m. The number of jobs created fell from 3,121 to 2,425.

Junior economic affairs minister Karien van Gennip said foreign investment always varied sharply from year to year and the Netherlands was now less in demand as a base for labour-intensive activities. Companies focusing on research and development were on the increase and now accounted for 9% of the total, she said.
‘This is an important development because attracting foreign R&D is one of the key elements to strengthen Dutch innovation,’ she told a dinner organised by the American Chamber of Commerce in the Netherlands.
The number of US firms to invest in the Netherlands last year fell from 56 in 2005 to 42. However, companies originating in Asia now account for some 50% of foreign investment – up from 40% in 2005.