Tech hiring statistics Netherlands 2026: salaries, switching reasons and time to hire
Gepubliceerd 9 november 2026 · laatst bijgewerkt · Chavez Peters · 2 min lezen
Every own figure of Chase IT Recruitment on hiring engineers in the Netherlands on one page: salary expectations, switching reasons, time to hire and agency fees.
Short answer
This page collects every figure Chase IT Recruitment gathers itself on hiring software, data, cloud and AI engineers in the Netherlands, in one place and with sources. Three headline numbers: a senior engineer asks for a median of €6,075 gross per month, only 4 percent of engineers change jobs for salary, and developer vacancies still open after a month stay open for a median of 91 days. Feel free to use them with a credit and a link to this page.
Salary expectations of engineers (133 engineers, contact since January 2025)
| Group | Count | Median per month | Roughly per year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | 9 | €3,400 | €44,000 |
| Medior | 24 | €4,650 | €60,000 |
| Senior | 44 | €6,075 | €79,000 |
| Lead | 15 | €7,350 | €95,000 |
| All engineers | 133 | €5,800 | €75,000 |
Per stack, median per month: architecture €6,975, .NET €6,000, security €5,900, AI and LLM €5,800, cloud and DevOps €5,800, Python €5,650, data engineering €5,650, frontend €5,500, Java €5,225, test and QA €5,200, PHP €4,500. Annual = monthly x 12.96 (including the Dutch 8 percent holiday allowance). Details and method: salary expectations of engineers in 2026.
Why engineers change jobs (159 switching reasons)
| Reason | Share |
|---|---|
| Technical challenge, growth, learning | 52% |
| Ownership and impact | 24% |
| Security (employer or project falls away) | 23% |
| Team and colleagues | 18% |
| From secondment or freelance to permanent | 16% |
| Leadership | 13% |
| Salary | 4% |
One engineer can give several reasons. Details: why engineers change jobs.
How long developer vacancies stay open (28 vacancies, October 2026)
| Stack | Midpoint in days |
|---|---|
| PHP | 185 |
| Java and Kotlin | 122 |
| Other software | 97 |
| AI and ML | 71 |
| Data and analytics | 68 |
| DevOps, platform and SRE | 53 |
| All 28 | 91 |
These are vacancies that had already been open for at least a month; groups are small. Details: time to hire a software developer in the Netherlands.
Timeline of a hire
| Step | Duration |
|---|---|
| First qualified candidate via Chase IT | within 5 working days of the intake |
| Finding and speaking to candidates | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Interviews at the employer | 2 to 3 weeks |
| Offer and contract | about 1 week |
| Candidate's notice period | usually 1 to 2 months |
What a recruitment agency costs
In the Netherlands, IT recruitment agencies usually charge 15 to 30 percent of the annual gross salary. Chase IT Recruitment charges 20 percent for an exclusive assignment and 23 percent non-exclusive, only on placement, with free replacement within 100 days. Types of agencies compared: tech recruitment agencies in the Netherlands compared.
About the source
All figures come from the own conversations and vacancy data of Chase IT Recruitment, a recruitment agency that only recruits software, data, cloud and AI engineers for permanent roles in the Netherlands. They cover engineers who talked to a recruiter, not the whole market. Each linked page explains the method. We update the figures monthly. Dutch version: IT-recruitment in cijfers 2026.
Oprichter van Chase IT Recruitment. Bemiddelt al acht jaar niets anders dan Software en AI engineers, met 25.000+ actieve engineers in zijn netwerk. Spreekt elke week engineers en CTO's, en schrijft op wat hij daar hoort.
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What does a senior software engineer in the Netherlands ask for in 2026?
In conversations of Chase IT Recruitment with 133 engineers since January 2025, a senior engineer asks for a median of €6,075 gross per month, roughly €79,000 per year including holiday allowance.
Why do software engineers in the Netherlands change jobs?
Of 159 switching reasons in Chase IT Recruitment's data, 52 percent mention growth and technical challenge, 24 percent ownership and 23 percent security. Salary is mentioned by 4 percent.
How long does it take to fill a developer vacancy in the Netherlands?
Of 28 developer vacancies Chase IT Recruitment tracked in October 2026 that had been open for at least a month, the midpoint was 91 days. PHP roles took longest (185 days).
Can I use these figures?
Yes, with a credit to Chase IT Recruitment and a link to the page.