South Africa, South Africans, Netherlands, Europe, Tax Consulting South Africa, Xpatweb, high-demand for professionals

South African professionals are packing up and heading to the Netherlands. Photo: bogdanovskaya / Flickr

South African professionals planning to leave are going to THIS country

An ideal work/life balance and more job vacancies than unemployed people make this country an ideal place for many South Africans.

South Africa, South Africans, Netherlands, Europe, Tax Consulting South Africa, Xpatweb, high-demand for professionals

South African professionals are packing up and heading to the Netherlands. Photo: bogdanovskaya / Flickr

The Netherlands has become one of the top countries for professionals in South Africa who are looking to leave the country. This information comes from data Tax Consulting South Africa and Xpatweb.

Why do South Africans choose the Netherlands?

The main attractions are career opportunities, a secure lifestyle and the value that is placed on South African professionals. Director of Xpatweb Marisa Jacobs said that skilled SA professionals are in high demand in the Netherlands.

“Not only is the Netherlands attractive in terms of their work/life balance, but the Dutch government offers enticing tax incentives for highly skilled migrants, especially in the financial, engineering and information technology fields,”

said Jacobs.

Around 35 000 locals are in the European country

Speaking about the growing migration trend, Jacobs said that her company met with the South African High Embassy’s deputy ambassador. The deputy ambassador provided data that showed that 35 000 South Africans currently reside in the Netherlands.

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20 000 of these South Africans are working and have partners and children.

The Netherlands’ economic growth has risen

While the rest of the world has been battling with the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic growth in the Netherlands has not been deterred. The Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) says the economic growth in the country rose to 4.8% last year.

More job vacancies and an attractive work/life balance are attractive for South Africans

The Netherlands also faces another pressing issue: job vacancies are outnumbering the number of unemployed persons. Statistically, there are about 123 vacancies per 100 unemployed people in the country.

The job vacancies are not the only attractive thing for South Africans. Work/life balance is another factor in why the Netherlands is a country locals are keen to move to. Family and leisure time has a lot of emphasis on it.

Business Tech revealed that the average Dutch professional works around 35 hours per week on average. A few of these days can also be used for remote work.