There is a persistent talent shortage in the Dutch labor market, according to a new salary survey report.
The study also shows that when hiring in 2025, artificial intelligence, automation and machine learning are expected to be among the hottest functional areas where companies are most likely to hire talent next year.
Accordingly, a recent study by Indeed found that over the past year, the number of job postings mentioning generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) or related terms in the United States and Europe has increased dramatically.
For example, Germany saw a 3.9x increase, France saw a 6.8x increase in jobs seeking generative and tuned AI skills, and Ireland saw a 4.6x increase .
5 Software Jobs You Can Apply For Now
- Cloud software developer, ChipSoft, Amsterdam
- Developer OutSystems, Bytes Recruitment, ZH
- DevOps Engineer ROO/RIO, Jobcatcher, The Hague
- Chief Engineer, Yoast, Wijchen
- Outsystems software developer, Van Iperen, Westmaas
These are not standalone requests. “Data analytics was the sector where GenAI was mentioned most often in job descriptions,” Indeed’s study says, adding: “GenAI also plays a prominent role in software development.”
The 💜 of EU technology
The latest rumors from the EU tech scene, a story from our wise founder Boris and questionable AI art. It's free in your inbox every week. Register now!
More information from BairesDev will be of particular interest to software developers who may be job hunting in 2025. The company recently conducted research on more than 500 companies to find out which skills are most sought after by customers.
It turned out that machine learning was the fastest growing skill with a growth rate of 383%, followed by Angular, Flutter, Kotlin and Terraform.
The increasing interest in AI also leads to an increasing need for core technical skills that are essential for the development of AI platforms and applications. This includes technologies such as React, .NET, Python, Node and Java.
The report also notes that this year demand for data infrastructure-related skills increased by 77%.
“Over the last five years, we have seen a steady and sometimes sharp increase in demand for developers specializing in tools such as Snowflake, MongoDB and Databricks, among others,” says Justice Erolin, CTO of BairesDev.
“If AI is a gold rush and you're a developer, you might want to sell the pickaxes. In this case, the picks are data-related capabilities, because a well-maintained data infrastructure is the engine that drives a successful AI product.”
Skills gaps arise
This is all useful information for software professionals seeking career advancement in 2025. But alongside these predictions there is also a warning about the urgent need for the right talent to meet growing demand, with a lack of technical skills emerging as a barrier.
Worryingly, according to the European Digital Economy and Society Index, one in three people in the EU have basic digital skills. According to the European Center for the Development of Vocational Training (Cedefop), future average employment growth in the Netherlands is estimated at 0.3% for the period 2022-2035, but when it comes to ICT roles this figure is much higher at 12.9% higher. .
However, this number could be offset by a variety of factors contributing to the tech skills shortage.
One factor is rapid digital transformation, and as companies come under pressure to modernize their operations to remain competitive, this is leading to a significant increase in the need for technical talent.
Combine this with the fact that around 40% of adults working in Europe lack basic digital skills, and the fact that a third of those employed in Europe do not have sufficient digital skills, and the problem becomes even more worrying.
This deficit starts early on with fewer younger people taking STEM subjects at school or university, a problem that then spills over into the world of work as there is only a limited talent pool available to meet the industry's needs cover.
Despite these warnings, a recent report suggests that 35% of Dutch companies will expand their permanent positions in 2025, with 27% expecting to hire employees for flexible positions. When it comes to salaries, the report notes that “salary adjustments in 2025 will be driven primarily by recognizing outstanding employee performance and retaining top talent.”
The outlook for those with the right skills is broadly positive. The Netherlands Office for Economic Policy Analysis predicts a 15% increase in technology job vacancies by next year. And given this concern about the lack of technical expertise, more good news is that 30% of software developers in the Netherlands have a master's degree in a specialty related to software engineering.
Amsterdam, Eindhoven, Utrecht and Rotterdam are just some of the cities where software developers can look for jobs. This is thanks to homegrown giants Booking.com, ING Bank, Unilever, Philips and Heineken.
In addition, many large technology companies have locations in the Netherlands, including IBM, Microsoft, Netflix and Amazon. If you are a software developer with the right skills, the Dutch job market offers a rich field of opportunities in cloud computing, data science, cybersecurity, AI and machine learning, full-stack development and more.
Ready to find your next software job? Check out the House of Talent job board
