CW+ Premium Content/CW EMEA

Changing demographics and rising needs are making the Netherlands’ high-tech job market very favourable for job seekers. Gordon Lokenberg has been recruiting for Dutch firms since 1999, working mostly on high-tech jobs at all levels – from software and test engineers to CIOs and CTOs. He has worked with some big names, including Sonos, Tomtom and T-Mobile, and also recruits for many lesser-known companies and startups. Lokenberg summed up the high-tech job market as follows: “The market in the Netherlands is excellent for people looking for a job; and it’s horrible for companies and recruiters. According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, for every 100 job seekers, we have about 133 jobs.” Many Dutch firms are looking for IT staff abroad. When they find a suitable recruit, the new employee has to go through the process of getting a visa. The Netherlands government has helped by speeding up the process and lowering the fees, and the process of getting a visa now takes about a month. To get a visa, employees have to obtain “...