The Netherlands remains in fourth place in a new EY ranking of European countries with the most foreign investment, but the number of firms investing in the Netherlands fell sharply last year, from 409 in 2016 to 339 in 2017.

Together, the foreign firms created 8,500 jobs in the Netherlands, or 2% of the told jobs created in Europe by direct foreign investment. Sales and marketing operations accounted for the bulk of foreign investment but 46 firms set up regional headquarters in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam took the lions share of direct foreign investment, with 152 projects. Rotterdam and The Hague each had 42. American companies accounted for the 88 of the transactions, followed by China with 38 and Britain with 28, EY said.

Despite the downturn in direct foreign investment, confidence in the Netherlands as a good place to do business has improved.

Some 52% of the 500 major investors questioned by EY said they expected the Netherlands foreign investment climate to improve in the next three years, a rise of three percentage points on a year ago.

Europe’s three largest economies, Germany, France and the UK, each secured more than 1,000 projects and together almost 50% of all FDI projects, the research showed.