If you’re an engineer and an EU national looking for the opportunity to enhance your career, look no further than the Netherlands. Right now, there’s a steady stream of work available, from short-term engineering projects to long-term maintenance roles.
For engineers with the right mindset and work ethic, there are many opportunities for career development, professional networking, and advancement in the engineering field. Interested to know more? Here’s our introduction to career prospects for engineers in the Netherlands.
Demand for qualified engineers
Career prospects for engineers in the Netherlands are good for two reasons. First and foremost, the Netherlands has appealing employment benefits for EU workers (more on that later). Second, national sustainability targets are creating huge demand for qualified engineers. It’s a demand that cannot be met by Dutch workers alone.
Targets to improve the sustainability and energy efficiency of infrastructure, homes, and businesses are generating huge backlogs of engineering work. In particular, the Netherlands has a thriving petrochemical industry to support, and it’s here that a lot of maintenance roles are opening up.
Maintenance roles are highly popular amongst engineers due to the nature of the work – it’s more relaxed and has good long term prospects. Maintenance is not for everyone. Some colleagues enjoy the adventure of new projects. But their success is not just down to technical expertise. Many of our clients are looking for engineers with the right mindset – team players who can adjust to the needs of the company, and the team.
In many ways, demonstrating these ‘soft skills’ opens doors to longer term roles. Soft skills – such as being approachable and friendly – are also vital for people-facing activities where employees arrive at a job site and need to represent the company in the right way. For example, Polish national Robert Lewandowski was with inAxtion for around 18 months as a pipefitter before moving to an office-based, preparatory role.
Attractive pay and conditions
As an employment agency operating in the Netherlands, inAxtion is part of the NBBU, a simple and flexible Collective Labor Agreement (CLA) which sets out the rights of temporary workers. Recent updates to this agreement – and national legislation – provide appealing benefits for our employees from 2024:
Pension accrual now starts at 18 instead of 21 years old.
- The legal minimum hourly wage has increased to €13.27 (based on 40 hours).
- Travel allowance has been increased to €0.23 per kilometer.
Opportunities through inAxtion
As an employment agency, we connect companies in the Netherlands with top engineering talent from across the EU. So here at inAxtion, we’re always looking for ways to support career development, professional networking, and advancement in the engineering field.
From social gatherings – such as employee barbecues and Christmas parties – to more formal events, such as our XPA Certification meetings, networking for employees and consultants is an important part of what we do.
The way our projects are set up means employees also get to network with each other at home in their shared accommodation, and on the job in their place of work. This helps them discover more about other people’s projects and experiences, influencing what they’d like to do next on their journey towards engineering excellence.
Are you a qualified engineer from the EU? Discover opportunities in the Netherlands through our current vacancies.
