How jobs and employment work in Eindhoven (and the Netherlands)
Eindhoven: A vibrant hub for technology and innovation
The crown jewel of the province of North Brabant, this southern Dutch city is home to a wide variety of companies and exciting career opportunities.
Eindhoven has a strong connection with technology and innovation, and it is the birthplace of Philips Electronics. Today, the city is home to Brainport Eindhoven and the High Tech Campus, as well as four Universities and numerous companies.
Businesses in the tech sector leverage close collaborations with Universities in the city to create a perfect environment for Research, Development and Innovation. As a result, the ‘Brainport region’ surrounding Eindhoven has become a thriving hub for the technology sector, and has created many new jobs in this area.
In addition to the technology sector, Eindhoven has many other companies that offer great possibilities for expats looking to move forwards with their career.
The economy in Eindhoven
Although Amsterdam gets a lot of attention, Eindhoven is actually one of the most impressive success stories. Eindhoven was granted city status in 1232, at which time it comprised just 170 houses. In the 19th century, growth in Eindhoven accelerated dramatically. New train lines connected Eindhoven with a rapidly-growing world, and Philips opened its light bulb factory here in 1891.
Today, the city has grown to be one of the largest in the Netherlands; it has a strong economy and is home to companies like DAF Trucks, Philips, and Brabantia, as well as many up-and-coming companies in the technology sector.
‘The City of Light’, as Eindhoven is known, is one of the true shining lights in the Dutch economy. The city has shown consistently higher levels of economic growth than more ‘significant’ cities like Rotterdam or even Amsterdam. According to the Dutch Bureau of Statistics (the CBS), in 2017 Eindhoven experienced annual growth of 4.6%, compared to the Dutch average of 2.9%. Impressive.
The high tech sector has been a key part of this strength, and it also meant that the region was the only one in the Netherlands to experience any growth in the difficult (mid-pandemic) first quarter of 2021. Major employers in the region like DAF, VDL and ASML make a solid contribution to the economy.
According to Peter Hein van Mulligen, Chief Economist at CBS, “The success story of Eindhoven is based on the many high-quality and high-tech companies that are located there.” Indeed, the high concentration of companies in the ever-important high-tech sector means that the region around Eindhoven benefits from a strong economy and high numbers of well-paid, skilled jobs.
Jobs in Eindhoven
Although the technology sector is the biggest overall contributor to the economy in Eindhoven, there are also many other jobs that are needed to support the overall economy in the region. Although high-tech engineering and IT may not be your specialty, these companies still need accountants, marketers and sales teams to make their businesses thrive. So there’s almost certainly a role for you somewhere.
As many of these companies are expanding quickly, there is strong demand for skilled workers from all areas. Multilingual staff are highly-valued, and many of the larger corporations are multinationals with English-speaking offices.
Are there many jobs in Eindhoven for English speakers?
Eindhoven is a cosmopolitan city, in which nearly 40% are of ‘foreign descent’ (born overseas, or a parent born overseas). However, it is a much more ‘Dutch’ city than Amsterdam or Rotterdam, and you’ll find it easier to learn some Dutch for everyday life.
In your professional life however, you can find various jobs for English speakers whereby you’re not expected to speak (or learn) Dutch.
Working in a high-tech profession especially, you’ll find that your expertise is more important than the language you speak because the fields of expertise are often so specialized. In high-tech companies especially, it is more common for people to have excellent English skills, so even in a ‘Dutch-speaking’ environment there are plenty of jobs for English speakers.
Companies in Eindhoven
There are numerous large and international companies in Eindhoven, and many of these are concentrated in the ‘High Tech Campus’. There’s also a lot of other Dutch companies that either operate internationally, or have offices that welcome skilled expats.
On the Eindhoven High Tech Campus alone, you’ll find the following companies:
- Aalberts Advanced Mechatronics
- AKKA Technologies Group
- Amaris
- AMS
- Analog Devices Inc.
- Anderis
- Anteverta MW
- ARTEMIS Industry Association
- ASML
- Astrata
- Avanade
- BAM
- Bluetivity
- Bouwbedrijf Berghege
- Bright Cubes
- Bright Society
- Brunel
- Capgemini
- Caraad
- Care IQ
- Centrale 24
- CGI
- Chassis Brakes
- Classified Cycling
- Cognizant
- Corporate Benefits
- Dassault Systemes
- Dekimo Experts
- DSP Valley
- E3 Benelux
- Edibo
- Elision
- Engi Talents
- ESTI
- Ettplan
- Eurofins
- Exes Group
- FARO
- FAULHABER
- Fortanix
- Gilbert Technologies
- Goodix
- Halsten Legal
- Hertz
- Huawei
- IBEO Automotive
- IBM
- ITRI
- InnoAdds
- Intel
- ITEA 4
- Keiron Printing Technologies
- KEMBIT
- KeyTec International
- Kinetiq
- LIC Sustainable Solutions
- Luminus
- Marvell
- MD squared
- MYCRONIC
- Naspers
- Neovate Innovation Projects
- NXP Semiconductors
- OMT Solutions
- ON Semiconductor
- Philips
- PQ+
- PTC
- PwC
- Rasp
- Ray-Links
- Real1ze
- REM Surface Engineering
- Rhion
- Richtek
- Rolic Industries (BASF)
- Sciosense
- Securitas
- Shimano
- Siemens Healthineers
- Siemens
- Signify
- Spacewell
- Synopsys Inc.
- Techwave
- Teledyne DALSA
- TEN Flecs
- Texas Instruments
- TMC
- TomTom
- Topinc
- Twice Eindhoven
- V.O. Patents and Trademarks
- Yacht
- Yask Facility Management
And there’s also the following companies in and around Eindhoven:
- DAF
- Jumbo
- Prodrive Technologies
- Tempo-team
- Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e)
- DLL
- SIMAC
- BDO
- UPS
- Itility
- Sendcloud
- Petrogas
- VDP Groep
- Wipro
So, there’s a lot of possibilities there!
How to find work in Eindhoven
If you’re looking for jobs in Eindhoven, you should adopt a three-pronged approach.
First, register with employment agencies. Randstad and Adecco are some of the largest in the Netherlands. Make sure they know you’re looking for jobs in Eindhoven specifically, and that you’re an English-speaker. Check-in with them regularly, so they know that you’re interested.
Secondly, you should check the job vacancies online. The corporate website of a company isn’t always going to be offering a job that is actually available – sometimes these are already filled internally (but they legally need to advertise it somewhere). Look within your own field of expertise (professional journals, magazines etc.), and also online job listings like indeed.com and werkzoeken.nl, and search specifically for English-speaking jobs in Eindhoven.
Thirdly, you should research which companies you want to work for in Eindhoven and approach them with a prospective application. A ‘cold CV’ is often quite effective if the company can see that you have the skills they need matched with a strong motivation to work with them.
The motivatiebrief (motivation letter) is a critical part of a job application, because it shows the employer that the company is right for you. This makes sure that you’re going to stick around and stay motivated to perform well.
There’s plenty of jobs in Eindhoven if you’re dedicated
If you’re a skilled worker, there’s a strong chance that you’ll be able to find a role at one of the many companies based in Eindhoven. Many of the companies are either international or expanding fast – so they’re always looking for new talent to fuel their growth.
It can be pretty competitive though – so stay with it! Keep checking-in regularly with the job listings, and keep sending those motivation letters and CVs!
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