About 46% worked for an employer in most recorded months
CBS follows early participants who met their Wet inburgering 2021 (Civic Integration Act 2021) obligation by the end of 2025. In their first year after completion, about 46% of 8,990 people had a job for an employer in 75–100% of recorded months. About 42% had no such job. In a separate first-year group of about 6,100 completers, 63% received no uitkering (benefit). Recorded months vary, so these figures cannot predict your work or income.
If you are planning work, income support or study after inburgering, use these figures as background for checking your next step.
Which groups do the figures cover?
Each CBS chart (External site, opens in a new tab) below covers a different group of early participants under Wet inburgering 2021.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Chart | People covered | Approximate number |
|---|---|---|
| Work after completion | People in the first-year work chart | 8,990 |
| Benefits after completion | People in the first-year benefit chart | 6,100 |
| Work during 2025 | All integration-status groups in this chart | 130,600 |
| Education at or after completion | People who completed the B1-route (language and work route) and studied | 1,300 |
What does completion mean in these figures?
CBS uses voldaan (obligation met) for people who have completed their civic-integration obligation. Its post-completion charts use afronding (completion) in their titles. People with an exemption or a waiver, or whose obligation ended for another reason, are outside these charts.
Wet inburgering 2021 applies to people whose integration obligation began from 1 January 2022 (External site, opens in a new tab). Integration can take several years. This is an early group: later participants may have different outcomes.
For the documents and checks after finishing, read after passing the inburgeringsexamen (civic integration exam).
How much did people work after completion?
CBS measures paid work as the share of available months in the first year after completion. This chart includes about 8,990 people, across learning routes and migrant groups. Some people have fewer than 12 months of data.
Work here means a paid job for an employer. CBS checks employment on the first day of each month, with no minimum number of working hours. Self-employed work is outside this chart.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Recorded months worked in first year | Approximate share |
|---|---|
| None | ~42% |
| Up to 25% of months | ~2% |
| 25% to 50% of months | ~4% |
| 50% to 75% of months | ~6% |
| 75% to 100% of months | ~46% |
About 58% had a job for an employer in at least one recorded month. The middle three categories account for about 12% of the whole group.
If you are looking for work, use the guide to finding a job in the Netherlands without fluent Dutch to compare vacancies and application routes.
How many people received benefits after completion?
CBS measures benefit receipt as the share of recorded months in the first year after completion. In this chart, uitkering includes social assistance, unemployment benefits and disability benefits. This chart includes about 6,100 people.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Recorded months on benefit in first year | Approximate share |
|---|---|
| None | ~63% |
| Up to 25% of months | ~2% |
| 25% to 50% of months | ~2% |
| 50% to 75% of months | ~3% |
| 75% to 100% of months | ~30% |
About 37% received a benefit in at least one recorded month. Of the whole group, 30% received one in 75–100% of the months.
CBS gives conflicting end dates for benefit data. Its general note says the data ends in 2024; the chart note says 1 September 2025. The exact cutoff needs confirmation from CBS. These percentages describe the recorded months available for each person.
A person can work part-time and receive a benefit that supplements their income. Rijksoverheid (Dutch government): social assistance rules (External site, opens in a new tab) explain this option. The work and benefit charts can overlap. They cover different groups. You cannot add their percentages together.
If you need income support, ask your gemeente (municipality) to check whether you qualify. The guide to bijstand (social assistance) explains the application.
How did work in 2025 differ by integration status?
This chart counts people who had a paid job for an employer at some point in 2025, grouped by their integration status at year-end. This chart includes about 130,600 people in total, including about 9,975 who had completed. The table shows selected status groups and the total across all statuses.
The chart excludes people who were no longer living in the Netherlands at year-end and whose integration obligation had ended. Self-employed work is outside this chart.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Integration status | Worked in 2025 |
|---|---|
| Completed (voldaan) | ~60% |
| Still obligated (integrating) | ~40% |
| Temporarily exempt | ~84% |
| No longer obligated | ~42% |
| Whole population in the chart | ~43% |
The difference between the completed and still-integrating groups was about 20 percentage points. Work in this calendar year may have happened before completion. These figures do not prove that completion caused employment. The groups may differ in age, learning route and circumstances.
Which education did people follow at or after completion?
CBS records the most recent education level followed at or after completion. The B1-route group used here contains about 1,300 students. This chart includes roughly 58% in mbo (secondary vocational education), making it the largest group.
The other categories are hbo (higher professional education), wo (university education) and vo (secondary education). Each percentage below is a share of the B1-route group recorded in education.
You can scroll wide tables sideways.
| Education followed | Approximate share |
|---|---|
| mbo, levels 1–4 | ~58% |
| hbo | ~21% |
| wo | ~15% |
| vo, other secondary education | ~7% |
Within mbo, most people were in levels 1 or 2.
The categories contain small numbers, so shares may change as later groups complete.
Rounding makes the four shares total about 101%.
If you want further study, ask your chosen school which entry requirements apply to you. For the difference between education levels, read the guide to the Dutch school system.
How were these figures calculated?
CBS provides the counts and percentages. We combine the four mbo levels into one share in the education table.
The chart data are available as CSV (comma-separated values) files.
We use these four charts:
- Arbeidsparticipatie na afronding inburgering
- Uitkering na afronding inburgering
- Onderwijs na afronding inburgering
- Aandeel inburgeringsplichtigen dat heeft gewerkt in 2025 (share of people with an integration obligation who worked in 2025)
We use Totaal (total) rows across starting year, sex, learning route and migrant group, except where a subgroup is stated. For education, we use the B1-route group. The work and benefit charts use the 1e jaar (first year) selection.
CBS rounds counts to the nearest 5 and withholds counts below 10. The displayed total may therefore differ from the sum of its categories. A small category shown as 0 or unavailable may contain people.
These early groups may not represent later participants.
Which action fits your situation?
If you want work, start with vacancies and application requirements.
If you need income support, ask your municipality to check whether you qualify.
If you want further study, check the school’s entry requirements.
Use the figures as background. Completion alone cannot tell you which outcome you will have.
- Author
- By Inburgering.org team
- Reviewer
- Reviewed by Kirill Svavolia
Official Sources
- CBS: work, benefits and study after integration (External site, opens in a new tab) - Dashboard data through December 2025, with preliminary 2025 figures. Post-completion work, benefit and education charts use different populations. The benefit-data notes give conflicting end dates.
- Rijksoverheid: the 2021 integration law (External site, opens in a new tab) - The law for people whose integration obligation began from 1 January 2022, the three learning routes and municipal support.
- Rijksoverheid: social assistance rules (External site, opens in a new tab) - Social assistance can supplement income. Your municipality assesses eligibility and the amount.