Dutch Emigrating in Droves

It's not just the tourist agencies that talk up how nice The Netherlands are, many people do. For decades, I've heard of the serene European setting, the quaint canals, the tulips and wooden shoes, and, above all, the liberal friendliness of Amsterdam. Well, check out what Expatica says:

AMSTERDAM - About 20,000 Dutch people have serious plans to emigrate permanently, demographic research institute NIDI said on Wednesday.

In general, those with serious plans to emigrate have at least a diploma from upper secondary vocational education (MBO) and are aged between 35 and 44. They often earn a good income.

"Just" 2 percent of the Dutch population aged 15 or older is thinking of emigrating in the future, while about one in 10 of this group has serious plans.

This means, from an adult population of 13.2 million, some 250,000 are thinking of emigrating and about 20,000 have serious plans to leave.

So, if it's such a wonderful place, why are so many people (smart educated people, mind you) anxious to leave? Reasons cited are crowding, crime, noise, and the Dutch mentality, whatever that is. The preferred destinations are Canada, Australia, and France.

Nonetheless, the fact that educated people are leaving does not bode well for the country in the long run. A trend of that nature has the potential of negatively affecting the economy.