This one article was originally published on .sect by means of Luis Minvielle, Ines Almeida. .cult is a Berlin-based developer community platform. We write about all things career, create original documentaries and share countless other untold stories from developers around the world.
You have probably already read it: the Netherlands is an English-speaking paradise. Linked to the Scandinavian countries for language skills, more than 90% of the Dutch are fluent in English.
Indeed, language does not seem to be a barrier for developers who want to settle in the Netherlands, as companies seem to value experience over speaking Dutch. Our research shows that salaries in the Netherlands will have increased in 2022. Companies in the country can even afford above-average expectations.
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This promising insight and other essential facts come from our recent report on developer salaries in the Netherlands in 2022. We used newly excavated data and compared it with some insights from 2021. Jump in and take a look.
Salaries offered and expected in the Netherlands in 2022
Remember how everyone was talking about inflation from last year? The Dutch didn’t just talk about it, they did something about it. Our research shows that in the Netherlands, the expected and offered salaries for developers increased between 2021 and 2022. In 2021, a developer might have expected just over $57k per year. In 2022, that number grew to nearly $60k.
Salaries offered are also superior to expectations. In 2021 developers were offered an average of almost €59k, while in 2022 the average offer is closer to €62k. That is an increase of almost 6% for Salaries offered in Netherlands. Tribute to Dutch companies!
Average Salaries Offered in the Netherlands since Honeypot’s Launch
Since the launch of Honeypot in 2016, the average developer salary in the Netherlands has increased by more than 25% to €62k. It’s a welcome and strong increase that confirms that developers are increasingly in demand – and companies are willing to pay for their services.
Salary offered per talent type in the Netherlands for 2021 and 2022
According to our collected data, companies in the Netherlands paid developers quite consistent salaries, whether they were European or Dutch. Salaries ranged between $56k and $59k through 2021 for four different demographics.
But in 2022, it looks like one group is getting the best paychecks: the local non-native speaking developers. Their salaries in 2022 average a handsome $66k, up 10% from what the same group earned on average a year ago. The difference we observe here between native speakers and non-native speakers should not be considered as a salary trend. Our observation stems from responses we received on our platform in 2022. It only indicates that non-native speakers, with years of industry experience, receive high pay, not that native speakers get less money.
When we said that the Netherlands loves English and other languages, we reflected on this specific reality: developers from outside the European Union are also gaining ground. They earn a little more than they did a year ago, and companies are looking for them above every other talent category.
Salaries by Company Size in the Netherlands
The Netherlands is characterized by decent and equal pay: in most comparisons, salaries are around the same figure every year. As we’ve researched before, some talent types get better paychecks in 2022. However, this doesn’t mean they get 50% more pay than other groups.
This trend is also observed when we measure company sizes: regardless of the number of employees, companies in the Netherlands pay roughly the same figures, between €56K and €59k in 2021. Most developers work in companies with more than 250 employees, but a significant proportion of them work also for companies with between 10 and 249 employees.
When it comes to offered salaries by company size, the most useful insight still comes from the 250+ category: annual salaries are now $68k per year, more than $10k above the smallest companies.
This data may explain the need for some developers to migrate to larger employers, but it also makes a strong case for smaller companies. A difference of about $10,000 a year may be high, but developers say there’s more to life than just a high salary. Smaller companies and startups, doing their best in terms of salaries, offer a work-life balance and a team culture that is highly attractive to developers.
Average expected salary by years of experience and job type in the Netherlands 2021
Specialization and years of experience are important for developers in the Netherlands. That is evident from the expectations. A beginning frontend developer can expect around €40k, while backend developers raise the bar a bit higher at €43k. The difference in expectations becomes clearer as the years of experience increase. A frontend developer with six to eight years of experience would expect around $65k, while a backend developer in the same tier would expect something closer to $63k.
We used data from 2021 to demonstrate these numbers because we did not have enough data to draw concrete conclusions for 2022.
Salary offered by years of experience and job type in the Netherlands
Developers in the Netherlands seem to have a sharp radar when it comes to salary expectations. The average expected and average salaries offered are as close as a guessing game can get, with the average salary offered being only a few hundred dollars higher than the expected salary. On the contrary, developers with six to eight years of experience see a decrease in expectations relative to reality. Backend developers expecting $63k are offered a little closer to $62k on average, while full stack developers experience a similar plunge with an average offered salary of less than $59k.
This discrepancy can be influenced by two factors. First, a lack of data for the roles of backend and full-stack developers, and second, due to lower demand for these specific roles.
Most requested technologies in the Netherlands
Of all the candidates who received an interview request in the Netherlands in 2022, which were the most requested technologies? JavaScript, React and TypeScript are almost equal as the best performing ones. About 4% of all developers said that at least one of these languages was their favorite language. CSS, SQL and Python are lagging behind, with 2.6% to 3.4% of developers claiming this is their specialty. If you’re wondering which six languages are most in demand by Dutch companies, here’s your answer.
Interview invited by talent group in the Netherlands
We have already seen how in 2022 the local, but non-native speaking developers in the Netherlands get the best offers: they get an average salary of €66k, which is an impressive salary increase compared to 2021. But these offers can be rare. Data on interview invitations show that of all interview invitations in 2022, this group received less than a third of all interviews.
The preferred talent type in terms of the total number of invitations is the local and native Dutch developers, who collected 58% of all invitations. But they are still on the downward trend: in 2021, 70% of all invitations went to them, meaning they lost 12% of their ‘market share’.
Salaries by job type in Amsterdam in 2021
If you live in Amsterdam, you should have different expectations than those who live a train ride away. Different cities in the Netherlands pay different wages. Location and years of experience are important. If you’re a developer with more than eight years of experience, living in Amsterdam might earn you 10k more than living in The Hague. Time to move maybe?
Methodology and conclusions
We used salaries specified by recruiting companies during the application process on the Honeypot platform as our main source of data.
We’ve removed interview invitations sent with missing information (such as job title or company location) to ensure consistent data comparison. In addition, we have included unusually low or high salaries to eliminate extreme outliers.
Don’t miss our other reports where we examine developer salaries in different parts of Europe.
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