The government is launching a pilot in the form of a residence scheme that will make it easier for innovative start-ups to attract staff with sought-after expertise from abroad. As a growing company, it is very important for start-ups to attract personnel with the right, often technical, knowledge. The demand for such personnel is high worldwide, but the supply is scarce. This new pilot starts on 1 June. This is what Minister Koolmees of Social Affairs and Employment wrote in a letter to the Lower House today, also on behalf of State Secretary Keijzer of Economic Affairs and Climate and State Secretary Broekers-Knol of Justice and Security.
Startups
Starting and developing an innovative company is often complex, risky and expensive. Moreover, in the start-up phase, turnover is still limited. In order to attract top talent, it is common for start-ups to supplement a lower salary with, for example, shares. The staff thus share in the success and the risk of the company. The new residence rule is in line with this practice through a lower salary criterion, supplemented by a so-called mandatory employee participation such as shares. This way, startups are better able to attract and retain personnel from abroad, which is essential for the growth of the company.
Knowledge migrant scheme
To attract specialist international staff, the highly skilled migrant scheme has been in place since 2004. This scheme works well for most, especially larger, companies, but does not fit in well with the usual way of rewarding start-ups in the growth phase. Because of the combination of a lower salary supplemented with a share in the company, startups often do not meet the salary requirement of the knowledge migrant scheme. With this new pilot, startups can also attract essential personnel in the initial phase. The pilot runs for four years and will be evaluated in the meantime.
