Ministerial visit to the Maastricht Region
Minister Eddy van Hijum from the ministerie van Ministerie van Sociale Zaken en Werkgelegenheid (Ministry of Social Affairs and Employment) visited the Maastricht Region on Tuesday 4 February 2025. His first stop was Werkcentrum Zuid-Limburg in Geleen. Later in the afternoon, on location at DHL Finance Services, the focus was on the approach addressing the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion and international labour markets. Welcome to Maastricht Region (WTMR) Programme manager Ramona Corsius-Corvers took attendees through the programme including past results and future ambitions.
The Minister was presented with the Euroregion’s ‘facts and figures’ where the international nature of the unique location was illustrated: the presence of many cross-border workers, students, knowledge and labour migrants and how WTMR has set up a unique range of services to facilitate these varied demographics.
The importance of attracting and retaining Euroregional and international talent in both knowledge and skills-related professions was discussed, as well as the importance of a targeted international profiling of the Maastricht Region. Obstacles in various national legislation and political choices were considered but, above all, what stands out is the unique opportunities the Maastricht Region has to offer.
There was open dialogue with employers such as DHL Express Finance Services, Medlands Parkstad, Maastricht UMC+ and Zuyd Hogeschool (University of Applied Sciences), covering the importance of cross-border workers and internationals for the labour market. The topic of ‘teleworking’ was a point of note, a topic that saw less emphasis before 2020 but has a great effect on cross-border workers and employers.
There were talks about the current economic climate and thus the attractiveness of the Maastricht Region in general. Within a tight labour market, Maastricht Region faces a continued, rising demand for talent. Besides developing and training talent, another priority is to continue promoting cross-border mobility and profiling the Maastricht Region as a ‘career destination’, where WTMR services for cross-border workers and internationals are crucial.
