This article concerns the employment performance of recent immigrants in the Netherlands. The analysis shows different patterns of adjustment in the Dutch labour market for Western and non-Western immigrants. The entry of Western immigrants into the labour market follows a smooth pattern, while non-Western immigrants have relatively low employment and relatively high unemployment upon arrival. In addition, they often start with semi-skilled or unskilled jobs. The labour market position of non-Western immigrants improves significantly over time. However, a considerable proportion of the disadvantages remains and seems to be persistent over time. Among non-Western immigrants, especially the Turks and Moroccans seem to face difficulties in the labour market, while the Surinamese and Antilleans are able to compensate for a large part of their substantial initial disadvantage. The relative success of the last group is probably a result of their familiarity with Dutch society.