Changes in International Employment in Europe, Case Study: Netherlands

The job market in Europe is forever changing to suit the needs of business and consumers, different areas have different needs and today we will be focusing on employment in The Netherlands! In this article we will look at the Dutch job market, which industries that are popular right now, as well as HOW and WHERE to find jobs in The Netherlands as well as something that many people do not consider and get a nasty surprise from – Dutch employment law.

What TYPE of jobs are available now?

Popular industries in The Netherlands right now include customer service and translation jobs, as well as vacancies in marketing, IT, finance & logistics, such jobs can be found in abundance on the Europe Language Jobs site.

According to Statista, the most popular jobs amongst University grads include consultancy, research & development, and science research!

WHERE are the jobs in The Netherlands?

Amsterdam and Maastricht are very popular places to look for jobs, particularly for Dutch, English, German or French speakers who will find themselves in high demand should they decide that Amsterdam or Maastricht are home. Anyone searching for jobs would also do well to check out the beautiful southern city of Eindhoven.

This leads us to our next point, languages for employment in The Netherlands.

jobs in netherlands

Do I need to learn Dutch to work in The Netherlands?

Learning Dutch will certainly help, but bear in mind that English speakers are the most in-demand throughout Europe, followed closely by German, Dutch and Nordic speakers. Obviously, Dutch is the most in-demand language in The Netherlands but there is an increasingly large demand for English speakers in The Netherlands as companies try to take advantage of social media and work with international businesses.

A large number of British expats choose to move to The Netherlands each year and, maybe due to British culture or the fact English is so widespread with over 370 million English speakers in the EU alone, many make little to no attempt to learn Dutch. This has sparked debate amongst Dutch speakers, something you can check out in another article titled ‘Dutch is Dying, So Why Don’t The Dutch Care?’.

Dutch employment law, what does it mean for me?

There is SO much information on this topic, trust me, I’ve dragged myself through it for your benefit! Essentially it boils down to:

Indefinite contracts are amazing for employees (security) and risky for employers (costs)
So, companies give temporary contracts in lieu of indefinite
After 2 years of temporary contracts, employees must be offered a permanent contract
Failure to offer this results in ontslagvergoeding, essentially a redundancy payment.
Only 3 temporary contracts are permitted in a 2 year period with a gap no longer than 6 months between the start and end date of contracts

employment in netherlands

So, what does this mean for me?

For many expats, it’s meant early redundancy, many companies do not want to offer permanent contracts nor give the ontslagvergoeding. Meaning you must cherish any company that does offer permanent contracts and jump at the opportunity if you want to continue your Amsterdam adventure. Either that or accept that you are likely to be job hunting again in a short time!

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