This report was prepared by the OECD Centre for Entrepreneurship, SMEs, Regions and Cities led by Lamia Kamal-Chaoui, Director. This work was conducted as part of the OECD’s Local Economic and Employment Development (LEED) Programme.
The report and underlying project were co-ordinated by Kristine Langenbucher (Deputy Head of the Local Employment, Skills and Social Innovation Division, OECD). Lars Ludolph (Labour Market Economist, LESI), Wessel Vermeulen (Economist, OECD Trento Centre for Local Development) and Harm-Jan Rouwendal (University of Groningen) conducted the analysis and drafted the report. Pilar Philip (OECD) prepared the report for publication. We thank Daniela Glocker, Nicolas Gonne, Steven Cassimon, Stijn Broecke (all OECD) for providing comments to the draft report.
The report was produced as part of the project Supporting job creation, skills development and social inclusion in cities in the Netherlands. This project is being carried out with funding by the European Union via the Technical Support Instrument (TSI) and in co-operation with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (under framework delegation agreement REFORM/IM2021/009).
The OECD Secretariat expresses its gratitude to stakeholders in Amsterdam and the Netherlands. Special thanks are due to the Municipality of Amsterdam and the Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment. Arjan Ploegmaker (Municipality of Amsterdam), Britt Stenberg (Municipality of Amsterdam), Janne van Eerten (Municipality of Amsterdam), Bart de Geus (Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment) and Koen Koolstra (Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment) supported the OECD throughout the project in facilitating contacts with stakeholders in Amsterdam and in national institutions. Karin Borst (Municipality of Amsterdam), Elisa Gomez Aleman (DG REFORM, European Commission), Michel van Smoorenburg (Uitvoeringsinstituut Werknemersverzekeringen, UWV) and Imane Tahiri (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten, VNG) formed the project’s advisory group and provided extensive comments on earlier drafts of the report. Representatives and stakeholders from a range of institutions and organisations were consulted over the course of the project. The OECD would like to thank Yvonne Bernardt and Jef Wintermans (Sociaal Economische Raad, SER), as well as other colleagues from the SER, Klarita Sadiraj (Sociaal and Cultural Planbureau, SCP), and Bas Ennik (“Regional Mobility Team” Amsterdam). Furthermore, the OECD would like to thank representatives of the Amsterdam local employment and social service office AmsterdamWerkt! & Sociaal Werk, the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, the ROC MBO College Amsterdam West, the House of Skills Amsterdam, the “Regional Work Centre” Amsterdam, the Municipality of Utrecht, the Municipality of Rotterdam, and the University of Applied Sciences Utrecht for providing valuable insights into their work. Idske de Jong and Feiko de Grip (Municipality of Amsterdam) provided helpful statistical assistance.
The OECD also thanks all participants of the 14 October 2022 workshop, where draft findings of this report were discussed. Special thanks to Niels Tubbing (Municipality of Amsterdam) for moderating the discussions.