Onderzoek: werk als ongedocumenteerde

The shadow economy in the Netherlands is considered to be relatively small; 9 per cent compared to the 18 per cent average in the EU. Nonetheless, the number of sanctions issued in the Netherlands for the illegal employment of both legal and illegally resident migrants is among the highest when compared to other EU Member States: in 2014, 1084 sanctions were issued, and, in 2015, 981. Still, given the estimated number of irregular migrants in the Netherlands of around 35000, the detection of a mere 332 irregularly staying TCNs by the labour inspectorate in 2014 indicates an overall low risk of getting caught for the illegal employment of irregular migrants….

The sectors considered to be at risk for illegal employment are inter alia construction, retail, the catering industry, temporary employment agencies, agriculture and horticulture, the metal industry, cleaning (with specific focus on fast-food restaurants and hotels), transportation and logistics…. The main type of businesses where illegally staying TCNs were detected in 2014 was the restaurant sector (n = 108). This was followed by market stalls (n = 29), hairsalons (n = 20), and cleaning (n = 18). The main nationalities encountered by the Inspectorate were from China (19 per cent), India (8 per cent), Turkey (8 per cent), Egypt (7 per cent), Morocco (6 per cent), Ghana (5 per cent), Indonesia (5 per cent), Philippines (5 per cent), Pakistan (4 per cent), Iraq (4 per cent), Russia (3 per cent), Brazil (3 per cent), Ukraine (2 per cent), Afghanistan (2 per cent), and Surinam (2 per cent), with the remaining 18 per cent from other countries. In addition, the majority of the detected migrants were male (84 per cent). Chinese migrants were predominantly represented in the restaurant sector (n = 41), and all migrants encountered working at Chinese restaurants (n = 27) were Chinese nationals. Also, 12 of the 15 migrants employed in beauty and/or massage salons were Chinese….Cleaning (n = 73) and food preparation (n = 64) were the main activities performed….

In 40 per cent of cases, the employer is a Dutch national. In 25 per cent of cases (n = 85), the employerhas a non-Dutch nationality. The majority of these non-Dutch employers have a non-EU nationality. In 17 per cent, the employer has dual nationality (including Dutch), and, in 17 per cent, the employer has Dutch nationality and was born in a non-EU country. The case files reveal that more than half of Turkish, Moroccan, and Egyptian migrants are employed in the ethnic economy. Combining this data, it appears that small migrant entrepreneurs are frequently subject to inspections, and, if they have indeed violated the WAV, are frequently fined….

The number of falsified documents and lookalike cases encountered by labour inspectors appears to be negligible: in nine cases in 2014, there was some suspicion that documents had been falsified; in ten cases, it was suspected that a migrant had been working after presenting ‘lookalike’ documentation.

Rijken, Conny; De Lange, Tesseltje: Towards a Decent Labour Market for Low-Waged Migrant Workers