Some 84 new companies agreed to set up offices in Amsterdam last year, down by a handful on 2022 but almost half the total in 2019, which was before the coronavirus pandemic and post Brexit.

In total, the new firms say they will create 2,400 jobs, some 400 down on 2022. In 2021, some 131 firms set up shop in the Dutch capital, including 32 headquarters, and said they would create 6,500 jobs.

The downturn is due to council strategy to focus on firms which add social and economic value to the city, economic affairs chief Sofyan Mbarki told the Parool. In addition, the construction crisis, the shortage of affordable housing, changes in the 30% ruling and limited capacity on the national grid played a part, Mbarki said.

Although fewer international firms have moved to Amsterdam, several large Dutch employers are moving to the region, the Parool points out. Chemicals company Sabic, insurance giant Aegon, holiday park company Landal and the ice cream division of Unilever which is being divested have all announced plans to move to the capital.

The move by Landal, owned by American investment group KKK, for example, will cost 300 jobs in Zeeland. “Amsterdam is better positioned and more accessible for our international colleagues,” a spokesman told the paper.