4. Opportunities present within the city make it an international hub, and people who come to the city from abroad do not have trouble 4.1 Employment-finding services integrating into local life (I amsterdam Website, 2020). Smart technologies have an impact on the employment of Amsterdam’s well-known work-life balance and high quality a city’s residents. They do so by making job markets more of life have made the city attractive for expats. Highly skilled efficient, building skill sets that make individuals more migrants coming to the Netherlands to work benefit from a tax employable, and supporting the growth of local businesses. rebate (the so-called 30 percent ruling tax advantage) that is designed to offset the costs that arose during their relocation (I In Amsterdam, some of these technologies are starting to play amsterdam Website, 2020). Other organizations—for example, a significant role in the life of the city. Personalized education IN Amsterdam—help migrants to integrate into the city by platforms have been established, one of these being the Dutch providing information on housing, healthcare, and education (I Sowieso platform, which allows students to learn online amsterdam Website, 2020). (Sowieso platform Website, 2020). By gathering data from students, teaching is tailored to their specific needs. Students Repair cafes and tool-lending libraries, run exclusively by the can design their courses, receive instant feedback, and create, public and for the people, have started to be a feature of life in share, and use free content. Personalized education platforms Amsterdam (Lauren Macpherson, 2017). These initiatives are such as this one continuously innovate education and create enhanced by the Amsterdam Smart City platform and represent engaging content (Sowieso, 2020). more and more job opportunities. Lauren Macpherson states, “If the Government stops treating citizens as customers or only Moreover, governments can make doing business easieras recipients of service and allows them to be co-creators of via various digitalization processes. For instance, they can the city, Amsterdam will continue to get smarter. Just so long digitalize the process through which companies receive as it keeps building broadband, wireless, and Internet of Things operating licenses and permits. The Dutch government views infrastructures. And, most importantly, City Data is maintained.” digitalization as essential for the country’s future development, The notion of cocreator of the city is fundamental here. for promoting jobs, and for boosting the economy. So far, investments in the information and communication technology 4.2 Access to schools (ICT) sector represent a considerable portion of the R&D tax credit (Wet Bevordering Speur- en Ontwikkelingswerk, WBSO) The Dutch public education system has a reputation for high budget. Around 20 percent of the growth of this budget is spent standards, and well-known universities such as the University on ICT innovations (Dutch Digitalization Strategy, 2018). of Amsterdam and Leiden University operate within it. Moreover, in the Netherlands, as is the case in many other countries in In Amsterdam, the public e poyent service, called UWV Europe, children aged between five and eighteen must attend Werkbedrijf, is also playing an essential role within the labor school, a requirement set by the Compulsory Education Act market (UWV Website, 2020). Its extensive network of partners (City of Amsterdam Website, 2020) and employment agencies helps it to generate real-time data that is used to assist individuals in finding out about vacancies In 2014, the Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators report at companies at which they are interested in working. The stated, “On average, 32% of Dutch 25-64 year-olds hold a website also centralizes many pieces of English-language university degree (tertiary-type A), which is significantly above information about working conditions in the Netherlands for the OECD average of 24%” (OECD, 2014). Furthermore, taking European citizens. Additionally, the Amsterdam Centrum Voor all education levels into account, “only 7% of 15 to 29 year- Werk & Inkomen (CWI) is a job center that offers advice, tips, olds were Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEET), and information to jobseekers (Centrum Voor Werk & Inkomen, compared with an average across OECD countries of 15%” Website, 2020). (OECD, 2014). Although we have to bear in mind that this data is susceptible to changes brought about by recent events, it Working in the Netherlands might be a surprising experience for nevertheless illustrates the strength of the Netherlands’ people who did not grow up in the country. As in Copenhagen, education culture, which is a key asset for a smart city whose flexibility is an aspect of the Dutch work environment that model is based on collaboration, since the variety of skills and stands out. Amsterdam is known for its nontraditional business educated people living in Amsterdam boosts its potential for hours and working flexibility. Moreover, the 180 nationalities innovation. 68 Quélin and Smadja | HEC PARIS | SMART CITIES | The sustainable program of six leading cities | 2021