Economics
Amsterdam’s Hire-a-Refugee Program Takes On Tight Labor Market
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When Rasha Mostafa fled war-torn Syria with her husband and daughter 4 1/2 years ago, little did she know she was going to help Amsterdam with a key economic problem.
The Dutch capital has leaned on the 33-year-old for jobs many of the city’s inhabitants shun — from assisting bakers at supermarket Albert Heijn and administrative work at a language institute to taking care of children at a refugee center. The Arabic literature graduate from Damascus is now a shop assistant at fashion retailer C&A on the western edge of Amsterdam, tidying up the store, putting clothes back on hangers and helping customers.