The Netherlands is one of the global hotspots for international tech talent. This country has a highly developed ICT (information and communications technology) sector, hundreds of multinational companies as well as world-class facilities and infrastructure.
Why the Netherlands?
- Developed ICT sector. The Netherlands has the largest cluster of data centers and IT security technologies. It’s home to over 7,500 startups as well as world-class R&D facilities and logistics infrastructure. Plus, this is #1 country in the EU for outstanding use of IT according to the World Economic Forum Europe 2020 Competitiveness Report. The Netherlands is also a hotspot for gaming companies such as Activision Blizzard, Guerrilla Games, Kixeye, and Perfect World.
- International tech companies. About 60% of all Forbes 2000 companies active in the IT industry have established operations in Holland, according to the Netherlands Foreign Investment Agency. Global IT companies present in the country include Cisco, Google, Hewlett Packard, Huawei, IBM, Infosys, Intel, Interxion, Microsoft, Oracle, and Verizon.
- Everybody speaks English. More than 90% of Dutch people speak English, and, according to the EF English Proficiency Index, the Netherlands takes the first place in the world by English skills among countries whose official language is not English.
- High IT salaries. The average IT salary in the Netherlands is around €4,950 per month, ranging from €2,610 to €7,900. The average annual salary stands at about €59,400.
- Work-life balance. Only 0.4% of employees in the Netherlands work very long hours — this is the lowest rate in the OECD, where the average is 11%.