9 reasons why Troi has expanded to the Netherlands

We’ve got some exciting news! We have officially made our mark in the Netherlands, attending events, networking like you wouldn’t believe and getting to know the businesses, and incredible talent at the heart of this innovation hub. We’re revved up for what’s in store for 2023, but also having a touch of nostalgia about  why we decided to embark on our Netherlands expansion…

2022 has been nothing short of a yo-yo year (and that’s putting it mildly) from the Great Resignation and the post-Covid boom, to the cost of living crisis, VC investment slowdown and layoffs across tech and beyond…but, there are still vacancies to be filled and specialist talent to be secured. 

Despite the slowdown, the Netherlands’ tech and startup scene is still buzzing with activity and the Dutch labour market is continuing to grow. The variety of jobs on offer is attracting a demand for numerous roles and qualifications, not just software developers. Whilst tech roles are always in high demand for Dutch startups, talent is required in all areas of business from sales and marketing, to operations and HR. 

The rise of the Dutch tech scene has propelled the Netherlands into the spotlight as one of Europe’s most strategic startup ecosystems. Troi, with its position at the forefront of the specialist tech talent acquisition field, believes that the Netherlands is only going to continue to thrive and that the demand for high quality talent will increase in conjunction with this. 

Here are 9 reasons why…

Amsterdam, based on H1 2022 figures, has become the EU’s largest startup ecosystem (and Europe’s 2nd largest after London). With news received last week that Amsterdam-based Rockstart, a global early-stage investor, has launched its third fund with the aim of achieving €30m to help up to 50 early-stage technology startups grow, it looks as though the Dutch startup ecosystem is only going to continue to thrive and grow. 

Dealroom comments that ‘the Netherlands and Belgium are above average when it comes to startups per 1m people’. Outside of the capital-rich Amsterdam, new startup hubs are emerging in areas including in the Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht, spanning a variety of sectors. 

The hiring landscape in the Netherlands is fruitful, with accelerators, co-working spaces and industry events geared towards attracting high quality candidates who want fast paced working, career progression and first class retention packages that encompass this innovative way of working. As Trois’ client base in the UK and the US is anchored within the startup and scaleup world, with a primary focus on recruiting for technology roles, it only makes sense to set up shop in Amsterdam.

Major US companies such as Uber, Netflix and Tesla have seen what the Netherlands has to offer and have chosen this country as their European home, and more are expected to follow in the near future. For instance, US-based crypto start-up Coinbase is choosing to grow its European presence through expansion in the Netherlands.

The Netherlands’ technology startup ecosystem is thriving partly due to being home to a growing number of unicorns, including Bunq, Mollie and Backbase. Amsterdam is an important centre of the international tech scene, with more than 1,650 tech companies in the city that employ roughly 69,000 people, making up 13% of the local workforce.

Thanks to its open culture and attitude to startups, The Netherlands continues to advance up the European startup leadership tables, and continues to attract major talent from around the world. The country’s 30% rule tax incentive to help promote immigration of highly skilled workers and startup visas are allowing global talent to easily transition into the Dutch environment to progress their careers. 

The Netherlands has a strong focus on invention and entrepreneurship which is only propelling the level of talent throughout the country. This, combined with their outstanding university system, are proving to be key contributions to the country’s success in developing, attracting and retaining talent. 

As a global operating talent acquisition company we can’t help but be excited about what the Netherlands has to offer in terms of being a thriving international talent hub. 

With 90% of Dutch people holding a conversational level of English and most workers being bilingual or multilingual (many of whom also speak German and/ or French), the Netherlands is the perfect choice for global companies to expand into Europe. For overseas hires, there are progressive immigration policies, a highly educated workforce and almost 200 nationalities across the Netherlands to help expand any company’s international talent pool. According to research by Statistics Netherlands (CBS) and other EU member states, in 2019, half of Dutch people between 16 and 75 had above basic digital skills, as opposed to an EU-wide average of 33%.

The Netherlands is at the forefront of using technology to tackle the world’s problems, with smart mobility, green energy transition, the circular economy and tech more broadly all being utilised to create a positive social impact. This is a natural result of a diverse and highly-educated workforce, combined with employees sourced from all over the world and a healthy record of VC investment into startups. What’s more, the Netherlands is also home to Amsterdam Life Sciences District, the Amsterdam Science Park, the New West Health and Innovation District, which have become key centres of innovation.

The Netherlands is now seen as one of the world’s most interconnected economies. In the Netherlands, connections matter for doing business, and the country is set up to do just that. Major cities are incredibly easy to get to, with Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Utrecht and Eindhoven all an easy train ride away. The Netherlands also hosts some of the major tech conferences in Europe for business networking, which are growing in numbers and popularity year on year and attracting many of the world’s fastest growing businesses.

Expanding to the Netherlands will bring us closer to our existing client base. Troi is already working and hiring within the Dutch market, with an impressive track record built up with Dutch companies and those with a Dutch HQ, including Miro, Epic Games, Flexport, Moodys and Pendo.

With Troi having saved clients over £15 million in recruitment costs across UK, US and EU companies already, it feels a natural step to continue our international growth by setting up a headquarters in Amsterdam. 

With the aftermath of Brexit and the challenges this brought to the global economy, the Netherlands is the natural place for European-focused British businesses to be setting up offices. You can reach all major European business centres within a two hour flight of Amsterdam and other Dutch cities and there’s an array of high speed rail connections to London, Brussels, Berlin and Paris.

There is a huge emphasis on ensuring a positive work-life balance in the Netherlands. With employee wellbeing and the shift to hybrid and remote working continuing to be a top priority for both companies and their employees whom we work with, a positive work-life balance is critical. The Netherlands strives to be an adult first workplace, where companies are relaxed towards working hours and the monitoring of employees. By treating people like adults instead of micromanaging them, Dutch companies are creating a thriving, creative workplace culture.

The phrase ‘work hard, play hard’ resonates throughout Dutch culture, they are professional in the workplace but they place a large emphasis on having fun too! This matches Troi’s vision for workplace culture.

So there you have it! We’re excited about our future in the Netherlands and we can help you expand into this exciting country too. Our HQ ideally located in Amsterdam means our team is in the heart of the innovation scene and we’re more equipped than ever to help companies who are thinking about expanding into the Netherlands to attract, develop and retain talent. 

At Troi, we’re committed to retaining our position as a globally positioned embedded recruitment company and will continue to grow and evolve so that you can too. Our strategic move allows us to become your embedded talent acquisition partner if you are looking to expand and require support in hiring at scale, DE&I, salary benchmarking or a complete recruitment process redesign.

If you’d like to learn more about how Troi can help you scale in both the global and local market, click here or book a chat with us here.