ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes the post-2000 attempts to assess the stocks of irregular migrants and undocumented workers in the Netherlands, their socio-economic background, pathways into and out of irregular status, and finally the media and political debates surrounding the issue of irregularity. The estimated size of the illegally resident population in the Netherlands has not changed substantially over the years and equals roughly 5 percent of the foreign born population in the country in general. This is the picture conveyed by a large number of Dutch reports. Illegal labour estimations are also relatively stable and point to a modest size of the informal segment of the labour market, but they overlook all kinds of petty employment and work within private households. The Netherlands is a country with a high level of regulation in all spheres of life and with a restrictive migration policy. Numbers invariably play a part in discussions surrounding the issue.
