The Netherlands has climbed to 21st place in the latest annual survey of international workers, with strong marks for work-life balance offset by ongoing struggles with housing and healthcare.
According to research by global expat network InterNations, international residents in the country rated their professional life highly, placing the Netherlands sixth worldwide in the working abroad category.
Respondents particularly praised the flexible schedules, reasonable working hours, and general job security available in the Dutch job market.
Housing and health remain major hurdles
However, the country performed poorly when it came to basic living necessities, dropping into the bottom three globally for housing availability and affordability.
The findings reflect a prolonged national housing shortage that has made finding reasonable rental properties increasingly difficult for new arrivals, particularly in major urban centers like Amsterdam.
Healthcare accessibility also emerged as a significant point of frustration, with respondents citing long wait times for specialist appointments and high out-of-pocket costs.
Overall satisfaction stays high
Social integration presented another hurdle for many respondents, who reported difficulties making local friends and navigating the language barrier despite straightforward administrative procedures.
The administrative process for securing official residency is managed nationally through the Immigration and Naturalisation Service, which many expats found relatively simple compared to day-to-day social integration.
Despite these persistent practical challenges, 71 percent of the international residents surveyed reported that they are generally happy with their daily life in the Netherlands.
