The Netherlands is home to a number of large multinational companies – either Dutch in origin or international concerns which have established regional
headquarters in the country. Holland has an open business climate with access to a highly educated, multilingual workforce. Some Dutch regions
also specialise in certain industry sectors offering world-class research and development. (source)
There are plenty
of opportunities to find a good job for expats who have the right experience – especially as
English is often the main working language of many
international companies. However your job prospects will
be improved if you are also able to learn Dutch and/or
speak other languages fluently.
Here is a brief listing of some of the major
multinationals present in The Netherlands. If you have a
target company in mind then keep an eye on their vacant
positions and try to network with some employees who
already work there. Consider taking a slightly less
challenging role at first just to get your foot in the
door. Since a lot of job positions are filled by
internal candidates, you should find the chance to rise
at some point within the organisation.
International firms with regional HQs in the
Netherlands
Nike – The popular US sportswear company has
its
European headquarters at
a large campus in Hilversum, about 25km south east of
Amsterdam. The complex includes sports facilities
(football pitches, tennis and basketball courts, running track and
gym) and an employee store selling Nike goods at a large
discount. It has a very dynamic and international atmosphere with
over 2,000 employees made up from some 70 nationalities.
Nike also offers 6 and 12 month internships which
start in February and August each year.
Cisco Systems – The networking equipment
company has its EMEAR (Europe, Middle East, Africa and
Russia) headquarters in south-east
Amsterdam with over 1,000 staff. Cisco does regularly
employ contractors and temporary workers and roles are
generally IT, commerce or finance.
IKEA – The Swedish furniture company is
actually registered in the Netherlands with its
headquarters based in Delft. There is also a service
centre in Amsterdam and a call centre in Groningen. With
12 stores in the country it employs around 6,000 staff
and offers a friendly working environment.
Adidas – The German sportswear
company has a
headquarters office in south-east
Amsterdam (Atlas building), close to Amsterdam
Bijlmer-ArenA station. With an open international
climate made up of nearly 50 nationalities, jobs on
offer are mainly in digital, marketing, finance and
supply chain.
Booking.com BV – The online travel reservations
company has its global headquarters in Amsterdam. It has
a large office in the Piet Hein buildings complex on the
IJ waterfront near central station and employs a diverse
workforce.
Tesla Motors – The American electric car
company headed by Elon Musk has an ever growing presence
in the Netherlands. It has its European operational
headquarters office in south-east Amsterdam and a final assembly unit and European
distribution centre located in Tilburg (in the south of
the country).
Dutch multinational companies
The following Dutch multinational companies
are known to recruit internationals, although you will
need to speak Dutch for domestic focussed roles:
The technology sector is crying out for good
qualified candidates. Electronics giant Philips
has a major presence in Eindhoven and is headquartered
in Amsterdam. The city of Eindhoven has branded itself
as the Brainport Region, attracting many
technology companies to the area. Nearby in Veldhoven is
the Dutch semiconductor company ASML, the world’s
largest supplier of photolithography systems; in Helmond
(east of Eindhoven) there is the Automotive Campus which offers
research and product development for auto industry
companies.
Other Dutch tech companies of note are ASM
international, a semiconductor company based in
Almere; TOMTOM, the company which makes auto
navigation systems and has its global HQ in Amsterdam;
Vanderlande Industries is a Dutch firm based in
Veghel (near Den Bosch) which specialises in baggage
handling systems at airports.
The finance sector in the Netherlands is very
well established with big banks ABN AMRO,
ING Group and Rabobank and insurance groups such
as Aegon and Delta Lloyd. The sector is
well represented in Amsterdam (clustered around Zuidas
and Bijlmer), The Hague and Rotterdam. ‘Big 4’
accounting and auditing firm KPMG has its global
headquarters in Amstelveen.
The southern region of Limburg hosts the Chemelot
Campus located in the Sittard-Geleen area. It
provides a hub for companies involved in chemical and
materials research. The most well known is probably
DSM, a materials and life sciences company with head
office in Heerlen.
The city of
Utrecht has a large Science Park campus in
the life sciences and biomedical fields and is home to
about 60 companies. Cutting-edge research includes
diagnostics, therapeutics, oncology and stem cells.
Utrecht is also a hotspot for ICT (information and
communications technology) and the gaming
industry. ICT companies present include Capgemini,
Fujitsu and Oracle; in terms of gaming the
city has the Benelux HQs of both Nintendo and
Ubisoft plus many game development start-ups and
research facilities.
Other well known Dutch multinationals with an
international work environment are Ahold
(supermarket retailer, HQ in Zaandam), Akzo Nobel
(chemical firm, HQ in Amsterdam), Heineken (Dutch
brewer, HQ in Amsterdam), Royal Dutch Shell (oil
and gas company with dual HQ in The Hague and London; it
has a research centre in Amsterdam North) and Unilever (consumer goods company with dual HQ in
Rotterdam and London).
To sum up, expats coming to the Netherlands with a
good and marketable skill set should be able to find
many opportunities in the corporate sector.