‘We have developed a microscope that makes everyone able to observe this problem’

De Volkskrant

In an article from De Volkskrant, attention is given to research by Bastian Ravesteijn, Assistant Professor of Applied Economics at Erasmus School of Economics. He explains his newest addition to the insightful statistics of kansenkaart.nl (Opportunities Map).

People in their thirties with parents with the lowest incomes are half more likely to have a flexible contract than those with the richest parents. Adjusted for income, working people with a migrant background are one third to one half more likely to have a flexible contract.

The widening gap between the employment conditions of people with permanent and flexible contracts is one that the government believes will be dealt with in the coming period.

Hopefully, Ravesteijn's work will contribute to this: 'It's not that we are inventing the cure for cancer, but we have developed a microscope through which everyone can study this problem better.'

Differences in geography and migration

Ravesteijn explains the latest addition to the KansenKaart as follows: ‘the latest addition to the KansenKaart shows that limited job security and low hourly wages are more common among people in their thirties who grew up in the big cities, in the east of Groningen and Drenthe, in Twente, in the mining area near Heerlen and among people with a migrant background.

These differences cannot be explained by the fact that their parents earned less. Among people in their thirties, the chance of having a flexible employment contract is almost 50% higher among people with parents who had a low income, compared to their peers with the richest parents.'

Assistant professor
More information

You can download the article from De Volkskrant, 23 March 2022, above.

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