How to find employees
Talent in Amsterdam
The Amsterdam Area is home to a modern, productive, flexible, and multilingual workforce. Education levels are high, with almost half of the city's residents having a degree of some kind. In addition, the majority of Amsterdam’s residents speak English very well (the Dutch regularly score highly in the EF English Proficiency for Companies survey, evaluating English skills in the global workforce) and are often fluent in one or two other languages. Aside from homegrown talent, Amsterdam also attracts plenty of internationals thanks to its renowned work-life balance, lively cultural scene, and high quality of life. All these factors make it a popular city for relocation.
Finding talent in Amsterdam
For companies looking to hire locally, there are various places Amsterdammers search for vacancies online. Popular social networks and online job sites are used frequently in the Netherlands along with various local and international recruitment agencies that help connect businesses with top talent. There are also a number of events and job fairs, such as the annual ITEA for students, graduates and young talent, and several fairs for expats and internationals.
Hiring interns
Hiring interns can be a great way to grow your team. With the right training and mentorship, good interns can become great employees. If you are looking for a temporary intern from abroad, there are many international programmes such as MISTI and SAGE Corps that can help connect and arrange suitable candidates. When looking for talent closer to home, there are several platforms that specialise in connecting interns and companies. Universities such as the UvA and VU offer study-specific job boards to students - to explore opportunities here, contact the university service desks.
Access to startup talent
Amsterdam is a European startup hub with a strong community brimming with young talent. Various tech and startup academies provide active education while the thriving tech community hosts a multitude of networking meetups and other events. To make Amsterdam even more attractive, the requirements for hiring highly skilled employees from abroad have been eased for startups. International entrepreneurs can even apply for a startup visa, which includes a residence and work permit for ambitious founders who present a promising business idea. Read more tips for startups looking to hire tech talent.
Recruiting internationally
There are various incentives and schemes for international employees and entrepreneurs. Highly skilled migrants are specialised employees coming to the Netherlands for a specific job and may qualify for a 30% tax ruling. The orientation year permit allows international graduates one year to find work in the country.
There are also organisations like IN Amsterdam that help lighten the administrative burden faced by internationals, as well as ease them into Amsterdam life with added information on housing, healthcare, education and other official matters. IN Amsterdam has partners that can assist in recruitment (both local and international), employment, immigration law and related matters. Numerous platforms designed to help with all aspects of recruiting. These include Welcome to NL, which companies can share with international talent they approach, and TOMAS, a platform for finding local tech talent with the help of upskilling and reskilling initiatives.
