Mar 07, 2024 at 9:50 AM Update: 2 days ago
Boskalis is afraid that it will soon become more difficult to find highly skilled personnel. Some political parties want to introduce stricter rules for expats. CEO Peter Berdowski of the Dutch company sees this with horror.
Boskalis made a record profit of around 600 million euros last year, Berdowski announced during the presentation of the annual figures. This was due, among other things, to the recovery of the car ship that caught fire in the Wadden Sea.
In July last year, the Fremantle Highway ship caught fire north of Ameland, killing a crew member. Boskalis’ help was called in to bring the ship safely to Eemshaven.
Maritime service providers are often asked to do such large jobs. For example, a few years ago Boskalis pulled the blocking ship Ever Given right into the Suez Canal, while last year it secured a leaking oil ship off the coast of Yemen. The company also specializes in dredging jobs, such as excavating a port.
Boskalis fears restrictions for migrant workers
At the same time as the annual figures, Boskalis announced that it is expanding its branch in Abu Dhabi. About three hundred people currently work at the office and that number should double in a few years.
CEO Berdowski says no The Telegraph that Boskalis is taking this step to make it easier to attract foreign employees. The company uses many highly skilled technical employees, which are not available in sufficient numbers in the Netherlands.
Boskalis has therefore often brought foreign knowledge workers to the Netherlands in recent years. But various parties that are currently discussing the formation of a new cabinet are considering limiting the arrival of foreign knowledge workers, which is a major concern for Boskalis.
Berdowski is therefore even threatening with a move abroad. However, he adds that this would only concern the registered office, not the head office itself.
The company has been critical of the business climate in the Netherlands for a long time. It also threatened to leave last year because it was concerned about new legislation regarding sustainable entrepreneurship. According to the company, this law, which is currently on hold, entails too many risks for large projects.
ASML also critical of politics
Berdowski’s statements come a day after ASML CEO Peter Wennink was also critical of possible restrictions for knowledge workers. Wennink, who left this year, said that future expansions may take place in other countries if it is no longer possible to attract foreign talent in the Netherlands.
If large investments indeed go abroad, or if a large company leaves our country, this will not do the Netherlands any good as a business location. Shell and Unilever previously decided to become fully British, while DSM moved its head office to Switzerland. It must be added that Shell and Unilever were already partly British and that DSM merged with a Swiss company.