Universities believe that a mixed workforce is important

A mixed workforce enhances the quality of Dutch universities. Mixed teams perform better than teams that consist of men or women only. Universities have set targets for increasing the number of female academics. A mixed team is also an international team. International academics are increasingly attracted by the Netherlands.

Themes:
Young and old represented at universities
Growing number of female academics
The Netherlands attracts international talent
The Netherlands gives incentives to international academics

 

 

Young and old represented at universities

 

Universities employ people from a wide range of age groups. This graph shows the age distribution of university staff by job role.

Logically, the 25-29 age category mainly consists of PhD students and we only see professors coming into the picture from the 40-45 age group.
 

 

 

 

Growing number of female academics

Almost half (49%) of university staff are women (FTE). In spite of this, Dutch universities are failing to utilise a huge amount of female potential in Academic Staff, particularly in senior roles. In 2015, only 18.1% (FTE) of professors were women. By 2022, this percentage had risen to 28%. This puts the Netherlands bottom of the pile among EU member states (LNVH, Dutch Network of Women Professors, 2016). In other words, other EU member states are better at utilising the talent of female academics.

 

The universities are keen to address this issue without delay and are working on a equal ratio of men to women in this job category. 

In 2015 and again in 2021, each university fomulated a target figure (in number of persons) for a higher percentage of female professors in 2020 and 2025 respectively. By 2020, the vast majority of universities achieved their target figure. Now, universities are well on their way to achieving the 2025 target.

 

 

The universities are rolling out a number of different initiatives to ensure that these targets are met. For example, they have made a budget available for an additional version of the LNVH’s Monitor of Women Professors in 2016, and universities are sharing best practices with each other, amongst others through the national Diversity Officers Forum and the Academic Diversity Platform. The Social Fund for the Knowledge Sector has published an E-zine on this theme.

 

 

The Netherlands attracts international talent

Dutch universities are in the top 2% worldwide. They offer academics an attractive work environment, encouraging talented international academics to come to the Netherlands. These academics bring with them valuable knowledge and a different cultural background. This adds value to the collaborative working within the universities.

 

 

 

 

 

The Netherlands gives incentives to international academics

 

International academics often come to the Netherlands for several years, as PhD students or postdocs, for example. The majority of these academics take advantage of what is known as the 30% facility. Under the 30% facility, an employer can pay an employee who comes to the Netherlands to work as a knowledge migrant 30% of their salary tax free over an 5-year period. More than 10,000 international academics work at Dutch universities, some 6,000 of whom as PhD students or postdocs. Based on the number of staff who apply for the 30% facility each year, we estimate that 6,000-7,000 academic staff are currently taking advantage of the 30% facility. This group comprises primarily of young researchers who, thanks to this facility, are able to live and work in a relatively expensive country like the Netherlands.