As a startup ecosystem, the Netherlands is growing rapidly and is a great place for startups from every sector imaginable. Startups created over 109,000 jobs for people in the Netherlands and 25,000 of those were created in the last three years. With Europe’s answer to Silicon Valley – the vibrant and energetic Dutch capital Amsterdam – spearheading this growth, the figures from the technology sector become more and more impressive.
It’s all about the Tech…
According to a new report from Dealroom, Amsterdam’s tech companies account for 14% of local jobs, equal to roughly 77,000 positions. Between December 2016 and December 2019, home-grown tech outfits continuously added more jobs than any other sector. Dutch-founded tech companies are responsible for 43,000 jobs while international companies, including Tesla and Netflix, are linked to 34,000 positions.
Whilst Amsterdam boasts headline names and multiple tech unicorns including Adyen & Takeaway.com (let’s not forget to now add Mollie & MessageBird to the growing list), I found it interesting to discover that 57% of new startup jobs in the past 3 years were created by companies less than 5 years old. There are over 2,700 startups in Amsterdam — that’s 1.1 per 1,000 inhabitants. I think it’s fair to say that with the diverse international culture, true sense of community & wealth of passionate technologists and entrepreneurs, this figure will almost certainly keep climbing.
Amsterdam is now 3rd fastest-growing European City in the global tech EcoSystem
Behind London and Stockholm, Amsterdam holds off Paris and Berlin to take bronze in Europe as it reaches a value of a whopping €73 Billion. Not only this, but it has now reached an overall rank of 12th in the global listings of startup ecosystems. When you then add in to the mix the growing number of global tech giants that are choosing Amsterdam to launch their new base of operations, I can only help but feel this valuation can only go up, and the growth shows no signs of slowing down whatsoever.
Amsterdam has some tricks up it’s sleeve to keep attracting talented techies, too. The 30% ruling for Ex-pats (a tax reduction to attract highly skilled professionals from abroad) means developers are financially better off just by living and working in the Netherlands. Couple this with a multi-cultural English speaking environment and a very strong attitude toward work-life balance, and you get an ideal mix to draw thousands of new faces to the canals of the Dutch capital every single year.
The only way is up.
To conclude, our beloved Amsterdam is an absolute powerhouse when it comes to technology & growth across the entire spectrum. The few stats I’ve quoted above barely scratch the surface in demonstrating how frighteningly fast Amsterdam & the Dutch tech ecosystem continue to grow. A city of such great diversity, high standards set by fierce competition, and a constant stream of impressive innovations make a perfect storm for business & tech people to thrive. The ambition has no limits & this will keep things exciting for years to come!
TL;DR – Amsterdam is a total monster in both the European, and global tech economy. And well, that’s absolutely great.