Foreign companies increasingly important for employment in manufacturing

Foreign manufacturing companies accounted for 58 percent of all large manufacturing companies in the Netherlands in 2005; this was up from 52 percent in 1994. These foreign companies account for nearly one quarter of employment in the Dutch manufacturing industry.

Foreign companies as percentage of large companies in the manufacturing industry

More and more foreign companies in manufacturing sector

An increasing percentage of large companies in the Netherlands are foreign. There were 432 large manufacturing companies in the Netherlands in 2005, 58 percent of these were foreign owned. In 1994 this was 52 percent of 498 companies.

From 2000, in particular, the foreign presence in the manufacturing industry has increased. Among other things, the rise in the percentage of foreign enterprises was caused by takeovers of Dutch companies by foreign companies and mergers between Dutch and foreign companies.

Particular increase in foreign influence in metal industry

The share of foreign companies in employment in the manufacturing industry rose from 40 percent (1994) to 50 percent (2005). They account for around 190 thousand jobs.

Between 1994 and 2005 the percentage of full-time jobs in foreign-owned companies rose by most in the sectors metal and machines (basic metal, cars, medical equipment), paper and publishing, and rubber and synthetics

Percentage of full-time jobs in foreign owned companies by sector of industry

Ken Arentsen