Meta Van der Linden

Over the past decade, humanitarian migration to the Netherlands has increased sharply as a result of global conflicts. People arriving through humanitarian channels often face particular challenges when it comes to labour market participation: delayed entry, mental health risks, and limited career preparation contribute to persistently weaker employment outcomes compared to other migrant groups. Despite the central role of labour market participation in Dutch integration policy, surprisingly little is known about whether and how specific policy designs actually shape these outcomes.

Meta van der Linden examines how different integration policy designs affect labour market participation among people with a refugee background and investigates whether and for whom particular approaches are more or less effective. Beyond integration policy, the project also considers how factors such as language proficiency, time spent in reception centres, and the strength of social networks contribute to unequal outcomes within this diverse population.

Drawing on interdisciplinary theory and combining administrative and survey data, the project analyses both short- and long-term labour market outcomes with the aim of producing evidence that can directly inform more effective and equitable integration policy.