Producing cross-border statistics presents unique challenges, primarily due to the need for highly detailed regional data—ideally at the NUTS 3 or even local level. Although administrative data can provide regional information, they are shaped by national legislation and systems, making it difficult to directly use them to produce cross-border statistics.
At Statistics Netherlands, we are well aware of the methodological challenges in identifying cross-border workers, having experienced them firsthand. Despite having access to extensive administrative sources and the ability to link data at the micro level, identifying this group is still a challenge in the Netherlands. Standard statistical frameworks and administrative data sources are namely not designed to capture them:
- Demographic statistics – based on population registers, these statistics include only individuals residing in the country. This means that while outgoing cross-border workers are technically included, they are not identified as such, and incoming workers are excluded altogether.
- National Accounts or statistics on employees – these focus on production within the country, including incoming cross-border workers typically identified via social benefit records. However, these records often lack detail, like personal characteristics or household composition. In addition foreign residence information are frequently incomplete or unavailable.
- Tax records – these could be a valuable source, as they include all individuals who pay income tax in the country. While outgoing cross-border workers appear in the data as part of the resident tax population, incoming cross-border workers, although maybe initially present in the raw data, are excluded during the production of standard income statistics because they are not residents.
In summary, although multiple data sources touch on the cross-border worker population, none offer a complete picture. These workers often fall outside the standard target populations or are not separately identified, requiring additional work to produce accurate and comparable statistics.
As part of the DG REGIO study on cross-border data, we aim to produce reliable statistics on incoming cross-border workers. Statistics Netherlands, in collaboration with ÖIR GmbH, INSEE, and Statistics Denmark, has developed detailed documentation to support data collection efforts for this ongoing study.
📩 Need support?
If you encounter challenges in meeting our data collection requests or in sourcing the right information from various systems, please do not hesitate to reach out at crossborderdata@cbs.nl. We are happy to support you through this process.