Invisible barriers in international labour migration: the case of the Netherlands

Why is labour mobility in the European Union so low? To shed light on this issue we focus and examine international labour migration intentions of the Dutch potential labour force. A key characteristic of intended labour migration of the Dutch is that its low level and the fact that it is strongly age related. The low expected rate of migration can be traced to expectations about finding work abroad and the perception that foreign experience is not perceived to be valued by Dutch employers. In addition to this it appears that partners within a household carry a large weight in deciding to move. If one of the partners is against moving, emigration will not take place. Keywords: labour mobility; migration; identity