Making the World Cup soccer finals focused global attention on the Netherlands, but the country’s more lasting achievement is its very strong economic productivity. So it’s natural, then, to put Dutch companies on your short list if you’re seeking to invest in top manufacturing companies. Philips, Unilever and ASML are just a few examples of Dutch companies Canadian investors can easily buy on the New York Stock Exchange.
The Netherlands ranked third in the most recent global productivity ranking by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, behind Luxembourg and Norway and just ahead of the United States. A report issued earlier this year by a British economic think-tank said the Netherlands scored well in terms of innovation, liberalization and employment, and it singled the country out as the only one in the European Union that combines very high levels of productivity with a high employment rate. While the unemployment rate for EU countries has averaged 10 per cent lately, the Netherlands has come in at 4 per cent.
For more: The Dutch are better at productivity than soccer - The Globe and Mail
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