Recent research by the Dutch Central Bureau for Statistics (CBS) shows that youths of non-Western descent that were born in the Netherlands are still running behind social-economically in comparison with native Dutch youths. Education is said to play a crucial role in this social-economic backlog. Non-western youths enjoy a lower education on average and sooner leave school without a diploma. The CBS research also shows that youths who leave school early without a diploma tend to work less and for lower wager. This observation holds more strongly for non-Western youths than for Native Dutch youths.
Of non-Western youths those with a Moroccan of Turkish background tend to be the weakest group in comparison to those of for example Surinam or Antillean descent. The language spoken at home seems to be an influential factor. In homes were Dutch is not the main language of communication children tend to have a weaker starting qualification after primary school when they start high school. The report shows however that the second generation of non-westerners with a migrant background perform better social-economically and enjoy a higher education than the first generation.
