Director Frank van Gool of OTTO Workforce is not received with applause in all Brabant municipalities. His company provides housing for mainly Eastern European labor migrants in our province. This happens in very large residential complexes and clashes in some municipalities. “Our economy can no longer do without labor migrants. And they deserve decent housing.”
According to Frank van Gool, the world would no longer turn without the use of migrant workers. “Then there would be nothing left on the shelves of the supermarkets next weekend. Not only would the fruit and vegetables from the country be missing, it would also be a problem for logistics. At Bol.com no more packages would be packed. In addition, our care will be under pressure in the future due to the aging population. We cannot do without foreign employees there either.”
Decent housing
Hard-working migrant workers deserve decent housing, says the director of Otto Workforce. “Many foreign employees now live in ‘roomed houses’ in a residential area. That causes nuisance. That nuisance is less if you provide large-scale housing. There is supervision, management and people organize things themselves in large communal areas. for the well-being of people.”
Van Gool: “There are currently about 50,000 houses in the Netherlands that have been divided up to allow many foreign employees to live there. If we had arranged enough large residential complexes, 50,000 starters would have had their own house by now.” According to him, new legislation is also on the way that states that migrant workers must at least have their own bedroom.
No rush
But not all municipalities are in a hurry with new housing for foreign employees. “I understand the unrest and concern. That’s why I try to involve the environment and give it a say. That sometimes leads to heated discussions. But we do want to create a good location for migrant workers.”
The number of foreign employees in our province will probably increase in the coming years to 150,000 people in 2030. If it is up to OTTO Workforce, quite a few large-scale residential complexes for labor migrants will be added in the Netherlands and in our province “If the three hundred municipalities in the Netherlands each have a If you were to build a complex of four hundred beds, you would have come a long way with 120,000 beds. The most important thing is that people live close to their work and that the municipalities provide good housing.”
The majority of foreign workers also prefer to live in a large residential complex, says Van Gool. “Working with compatriots and doing fun things. About 20 to 30 percent eventually want to live here and buy or rent their own home. After a few years, they want to take the next step and make a living career in addition to a working career. stick around and maybe even become a new Dutchman.”
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