On Wednesday 4 December, RTL News visited Arcadia Chrysanten in De Lier. This followed the House of Representatives debate on the report of the State Commission on Demographic Development 2050 (Moderate Growth). RTL Nieuws zoomed in on the chrysanthemum grower's homes Arcadia is building for temporary workers and on the question of how automation and robotization will affect the demand for international workers.
Debate
The House debated Wednesday 4 December with Minister Van Hijum (Social Affairs and Employment), Keijzer (Housing and Spatial Planning) and Faber (Asylum and Migration) on the findings of the State Commission on Demographic Developments 2050: 'What size and composition should the population be in 2050?' The state commission concludes that moderate population growth to 19-20 million people by 2050 is best for maintaining broad prosperity. Minister Van Hijum indicated that in line with the committee's advice, the Cabinet does not want to exceed 19-20 million inhabitants. There are no concrete measures to guide this yet.
The debate focused on the effects of migration and the pressure this puts on facilities. It also talked about the aging population and, as a result, the tightness of the labor market. And about labour migration (in Dutch).
Bart van Ruijven speaking
Bart van Ruijven of Arcadia Chrysanthemums showed RTL News the 16 houses that are under construction at his company for temporary workers. He also indicated that they now only need about half the number of international employees, compared to a few years ago. This is due to automation and robotization in the production process. He expects that in time, the number of employees needed can be further reduced by further automation.
You can watch the item (from 11.40) via this link (in Dutch).
Source: Glastuinbouw Nederland