This is how much software developers in the Netherlands are earning in 2022

This article was originally published on .cult by Luis Minvielle, Inês Almeida. .cult is a Berlin-based community platform for developers. We write about all things career-related, make original documentaries, and share heaps of other untold developer stories from around the world.

You’ve probably read this before: the Netherlands is an English-speaker’s paradise. Tied with the Nordic countries for proficiency, more than 90% of Dutch people speak English fluently.

Indeed, language does not seem to be a barrier for developers looking to settle in the Netherlands, since companies seem to evaluate experience over speaking Dutch. Our research shows that in 2022 salaries grew in the Netherlands.  Companies in the country may even pay above average expectations.

This promising insight and other essential facts come from our recent report on Developer Salaries in the Netherlands in 2022. We used newly dug data and compared it against some insights from 2021. Jump in and take a peek.

Offered and expected salaries in the Netherlands in 2022

Remember how everyone was talking about inflation from last year onwards? The Dutch didn’t just talk about it: they did something about it. Our research demonstrates that, in the Netherlands, expected and offered salaries for developers rose between 2021 and 2022. In 2021, a developer may have expected slightly more than €57k per year. In 2022, that number grew to almost €60k.

The offered salaries are also superior to expectations. In 2021, developers were offered, on average, almost €59k, while in 2022, the average offer is closer to €62k. That’s a nearly 6% increase for offered salaries in the Netherlands. Kudos to Dutch companies!

Average offered salaries in the Netherlands since Honeypot launched

Since Honeypot launched in 2016, the average salary for developers in the Netherlands has grown by more than 25% up to €62k. It’s a welcome and steep increase that confirms that developers are more and more in demand — and that companies are willing to pay for their services.

Offered salary by talent type in the Netherlands for 2021 and 2022

According to our gathered data, companies in the Netherlands used to pay developers rather consistent salaries, regardless of whether they were European or Dutch. The salaries hovered in between €56k and €59k for four distinct demographic groups up to 2021.

But, in 2022, it seems a group is getting the best pay cheques: the local non-native speaking developers. Their salaries in 2022 average a handsome €66k, a 10% increase from what the same group earned on average just a year ago. The difference we’re observing here between native speakers and non-native speakers, shouldn’t be considered a salary trend. Our observation stems from responses we got on our platform in 2022. It merely represents the fact that non-native speakers, with years of experience in the sector, are receiving high rewards, not that native speakers are receiving less money.

When we mentioned that the Netherlands loves English and other languages, we were reflecting on this particular reality: developers from outside the European Union are also gaining traction. They are earning slightly more than what they did a year ago, and companies are seeking them out over any other talent category.

Salaries by company size in the Netherlands

The Netherlands is characterised for paying handsomely and equally: in most comparisons, salaries are ballparked around the same figure each year. As we explored before, some talent types are getting better pay cheques in 2022. However, this doesn’t mean they’re getting a 50% raise over other groups.

This trend is also observed when we measure company sizes: regardless of the employee count, companies in the Netherlands tend to pay around the same figures, between €56K and €59k in 2021. Most developers work in firms with more than 250 employees, but a significant portion of them also work for firms that hold between 10 and 249 employees.

When it comes to offered salaries by company size, the most useful insight still comes from the 250+ category: yearly salaries are now at €68k a year, more than €10k above the smallest companies.

This data may explain the need of some developers to migrate towards bigger employers, but it also builds a strong case for smaller companies. A difference of around €10k per year may be high, but according to developers there’s more to life than just a high pay check. Smaller companies and startups, while doing their best when it comes to salaries, offer a work-life balance and team culture that is very attractive to developers.

Average expected salary by years of experience and job type in the Netherlands 2021

Specialisation and years of experience matter to developers in Netherlands. That’s what expectations show. A starting frontend developer may expect around €40k, while backend developers set the bar a tad higher at €43k. The difference in expectations is demonstrated more clearly the higher the years of experience go. A frontend developer with six to eight years of experience expects around €65k, while a backend developer in the same tier expects something closer to €63k.

We used data from 2021 to demonstrate these numbers, since we didn’t have enough data to draw concrete conclusions for 2022.

Offered salary 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 the average offered salaries are as close as a guessing game can get, with the average offered salary surpassing the expected salary by just a few hundred euros. On the contrary, developers with six to eight years of experience are seeing a decrease in expectations vs. reality. Backend developers expecting €63k are offered on average something closer to €62k, while full stack developers experience a similar dive with an average offered salary of less than €59k.

This discrepancy might be affected by two factors. First, a lack of data for the roles of backend and full stack developers, and second, by lower demand for these specific roles.

Most in-demand technologies in the Netherlands

From all the candidates that received an interview request in the Netherlands during 2022, which were the most-in-demand technologies? JavaScript, React, and TypeScript are almost tied as the top performers. Around 4% of all developers mentioned that at least one of these was their top language of choice. CSS, SQL, and Python are right behind, with 2.6% to 3.4% of devs claiming that it’s their speciality. If you’re wondering which six languages are most in-demand amongst Dutch companies, here’s your answer.

Interview invites by talent group in the Netherlands

We’ve already observed how, in 2022, the local yet non-native speaking devs in the Netherlands are getting the best offers: they’re getting an average salary of €66k, which is an impressive salary increase compared to 2021. But these offers might be rare. Data on interview invites demonstrates that, out of all the invites for interviews during 2022, this group got under a third of all interviews.

The preferred talent type in terms of total invite count is the local and native-speaking Dutch developers, who amassed 58% of all invitations. But they’re still on the downward slide: in 2021, 70% of all invites 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 varied wages. Location and years of experience matter. If you’re a developer with more than eight years of experience, living in Amsterdam might earn you an additional €10k than living in The Hague. Time to move maybe?

Methodology and Conclusions

We used salaries specified by hiring companies during the interview process on the Honeypot platform as our key data source.

We removed interview invites sent with missing information (like position title or company location) to ensure that the data can be compared consistently. Furthermore, we took out unusually low or high salaries to eliminate extreme outliers.

Don’t miss out on our other reports where we explore dev salaries across different parts of Europe.