By Kirstie McDermott
While it is stereotypically lauded as the land of tulips, clogs, and canals, what might be less well-known about the Netherlands is that it is one of the European continent’s top four tech players.
The UK, the Netherlands, Germany, and France are the combined home to nearly two-thirds of the continent’s top 1,000 startup and scaleup companies.
Amsterdam has recorded a 53 per cent average year-on-year growth since 2011 and was, according to Startup Genome, ranked as Europe’s second top performing start-up hub for 2021 ahead of Paris and Berlin.
It is an attractive destination for tech and knowledge workers for a variety of reasons. In addition to its vibrant and rapidly growing tech ecosystem, the city is home to numerous innovation hubs, such as Amsterdam Science Park’s Startup Village, VU StartHub, and LAB42, a digital innovation hub at the University of Amsterdam.
Healthy employment environment
Many multinational tech giants also have their offices here, such as Canon and Cisco. This helps to create an employment environment where there are ample opportunities for tech professionals to not only find great jobs, but to easily move around, allowing them to stay at the forefront of technological advancements.
Underpinning Amsterdam’s pool of skilled talent is the quality of the city’s universities and research institutions. These attract leading minds from around the world, helping to foster creativity, innovation, and collaboration.
A 2022 survey from The Campus Advisor ranked the Netherlands as the ninth best country for higher education in the world, receiving a score of 4.32 out of five; students also rated the University of Amsterdam as the best university in the Netherlands.
It will come as no surprise, then, to find that the city is home to numerous tech events and conferences such as GOTO Amsterdam, Codemotion, and React Live, providing workers in the tech sector with excellent networking opportunities, helping them to build connections, exchange knowledge, and explore future career growth.
AI stronghold
And when it comes to areas of specialisation, Amsterdam is known as one of the world’s most AI-ready cities. A McKinsey report found that AI adoption has doubled since 2017 and that it can deliver additional global economic activity of around $13 trillion (€11.8 trillion) in the foreseeable future.
As a city prepped for the growth of AI technologies, it’s a great location for those in, or interested in, the sector. Plus, the Dutch government actively supports the tech industry, promoting innovation and entrepreneurship through various initiatives and tax incentives.
The Highly Skilled Migrant Visa (HSM) is designed for highly skilled workers from non-EU/EEA countries who have a job offer from a recognised Dutch employer, and the “start-up visa,” valid for one year, allows those from outside the EU to start an innovative business in the Netherlands.
Liveability factor
Employment benefits aside, Amsterdam is a great place to live, securing the ninth position on the Global Liveability Index in 2022.
Centrally located, it has excellent international and European travel links and the city itself is compact and easy to navigate––especially if you cycle.
The Dutch are well known for their bike-friendly attitudes, and the city teams with waterways, green spaces, and cultural attractions. Amsterdam also has a strong emphasis on sustainability, green initiatives, and cutting-edge technology, a culture that aligns well with the values and interests of many tech workers.
If all those factors appeal, then you may be interested in a job in the Netherlands’ capital city. Start your search for tech roles on the Euronews Jobs Board. It features thousands of opportunities in companies all across Europe, like the three below.
Level 2 Desktop Support – Allied Worldwide Limited
A global provider of IT resources, IT managed services and flexible, ad-hoc IT resource and project Support, Allied Worldwide is hiring for a Level 2 Desktop Support role.
You’ll provide 2nd line onsite desktop and application support services to end users, troubleshoot and resolve incidents relating to desktop operating systems and mobile devices and repair hardware and peripheral faults in conjunction with warranty providers.
A variety of experience is needed, including working within a service desk environment and team, supporting users either remotely or onsite, and managing tickets through an incident management tool.
Excellent all-round knowledge of Windows Desktop Operating Systems, with recent support experience in Windows 7 and 10 is necessary as is excellent support experience with mobile devices and a working knowledge of current and legacy hardware platforms. Get all the application information here.
Front-end Developer, Global KPO
Global KPO is hiring a Front-end Developer to work for Vattenfall (formerly Nuon) where you’ll be part of a leading international energy company.
You will work in a dynamic environment, and as an Angular developer you will play a key role in developing cross-application features based on a REST architecture in combination with pure front-end technologies.
Your main responsibilities will be to build, deploy and maintain Angular applications within Azure, be an expert on JavaScript and front-end frameworks, collaborate with developers, business partners, architects, and other groups to identify technical and functional needs of systems and more.
To apply, you’ll need a degree in information technology, mathematics, engineering, or related subjects (or comparable training), and be experienced in Angular (version 9+), SCSS, HTML5, and TypeScript. Get more information now.
Data Scientist, Synechron
Big data and AI are booming as a result Synechron is looking for an excellent Data Scientist to join the team in Amsterdam to work on solving AI challenges for and with customers.
You’ll lead client projects to solve AI challenges (predictive analytics, statistical analysis, machine learning, and deep learning), translate analytical solutions into recommendations, and build/improve data-driven models using statistical and machine learning techniques.
A Bachelor’s is required, and you will have at least three years of experience as a data scientist, with hands-on experience in solving complex challenges using data analysis and modelling and demonstrable programming experience in at least Python (Pandas, Sklearn, Tensorflow/Pytorch) and another programming language such as R, SQL and/or SAS. Apply for this job now.
Browse even more open opportunities across tech sectors on the Euronews Jobs Board now.
