BRUSSELS, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- The Netherlands will not open its job market to Romanians and Bulgarians until July next year despite a domestic labor shortage in some sectors, Radio Netherlands reported Saturday.

    Dutch Minister of Social Affairs Piet Hein Donner changed his original plan to open the Dutch borders to Romanians and Bulgarians from January 1 next year after local governments of some major Dutch cities cautioned about the effects of the financial crisis.

    Donner asked city governments to help fill around 20,000 job vacancies in the agricultural sector, the report said.

    While Polish workers have been allowed to look for jobs in the Netherlands without special permits since May last year, Romanians and Bulgarians have to apply for permits which is hard to get for migrant workers.

    Faced with a serious labor shortage, the Dutch agricultural sector has always favored a lift of restrictions on migrant workers from Romania and Bulgaria, both becoming the latest European Union members in January 2007.