Amsterdam is full of startups, scaleups and agencies craving for the best talents on the market. They know that a company empowered with the best people will thrive so they do their best to attract the most skilled professionals. A competitive salary is not enough anymore. Companies try to steal people with Friday drinks, team events, free lunch and massages. I’ve taken a look at some top employers in Amsterdam in 2019 – are you curious what the winning 15 is? Here you go! The best companies to work in Amsterdam are:
- Ace & Tate
- Tiqets
- MessageBird
- Flow Traders
- Swapfiets
- Booking.com
- Onboard
- Bynder
- Adyen
- Effectory
- Hubs
- Etergo
- Netflix
- Picnic Technologies
- Felyx
1. Ace & Tate
Industry: Apparel & fashion, eyewear
About the company: The company offers quality frames at a good price. Ace & Tate is a lifestyle brand with a very flat hierarchy. After accomplishing the mission in the Netherlands, the company is now focused on conquering the international market. Ace & Tate is a transparent workplace with innovative ideas. Since the very beginning, they have been trying to break down the barriers that surround optical purchases. Their motto is: you don’t have to be defined by a single frame over a long period of time. Their handmade, design quality frames can even cost as little as 98 euro including prescription lenses.
Why work there: Ace & Tate regularly wins contests when it comes to the atmosphere within teams. Employees love organic lunches prepared freshly every day, as well as the company’s own bar. On Fridays the in-house DJ makes the general feeling even better. Who wouldn’t like to have a DJ at work?
2. Tiqets
Industry: IT services
About the company: Tiqets was founded in 2013 and very quickly became a leading ticketing platform for museums and attractions. What the company aims at is making culture more accessible to everyone. Tiqets offers tickets for attractions from all over the world, this way people can discover new cultural experiences. These are instant, last-minute and mobile tickets. The company has been ranked the world’s most trusted museums and attractions ticketing platform on Trustpilot.
Why work there: Tiqets doesn’t really offer anything unique when compared to other workplaces in Amsterdam. However, its employees just love to be there. They all talk about being surrounded by amazing people from all over the world and about mutual respect among all team members. There’s no rigid hierarchy, instead, there’s a flexible and sympathetic approach towards all employees.
3. MessageBird
Industry: Telecommunications services
About the company: The company was founded in 2011 and now it earns almost $100 million revenue per year. MessageBird is a platform combining different communication tools: SMS, chat, and voice. It serves around 15,000 customers globally. The company’s mission is to revolutionize the way the world communicates. MessageBird currently has offices in Amsterdam, Singapore, Sydney, London, Hamburg, Shanghai, and San Francisco. The company is the only leading cloud communications platform with its own telecommunications carrier infrastructure.
Why work there: A great plus for a very friendly approach. You need an additional screen? New headphones? Maybe you prefer a trackpad over a mouse? No problem. Employees also praise daily healthy lunches and exercise classes offered. Also, it’s good to work in a team of young people who really want to learn and grow. Everyone is open to meet new people and there are many daily activities hosted by the employees outside of work.
4. Flow Traders
Industry: Stock Exchanges
About the company: Flow Traders was founded in 2004. Currently, it’s a leading technology-enabled liquidity provider. They specialize in ETPs – Exchange Trading Products. Flow Traders provides continuous liquidity across all major exchanges globally, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The company uses their technology platform to quite bid and ask prices in over 5,500 ETP listings. What investors benefit from is increased liquidity, higher execution quality and lower overall trading costs. Flow Traders partners always highlight that the company contributes to more efficient and transparent securities markets.
Why work there: Professional development is key, especially for young employees. Flow Traders really wants you to grow. Courses, conferences – they are always close at hand whenever you want to join. There’s also a free lunch every day and an amazing in-house gym with personal trainers. Oh, I almost forgot – there are also free massages!
5. Swapfiets
Industry: sport and leisure time
About the company: Swapfiets was founded in 2014 by three Dutch students. Their plan was to rent out bicycles for a fixed monthly fee. The company was about to take care about repairs and maintenance. Customers use bikes as much as they want and the company makes sure they always work. If a bike breaks down, Swapfiets comes and gives the customer another one within a day (usually it’s around 12 hours). The client just needs to write an email, a chat message or give the company a call. Even when it’s just a flat tire, they will come and fix it. Currently, there are more than 150,000 bikes on the road in around 50 cities.
Why work there: who wouldn’t like to get a working bike? At Swapfiets you always get one! The atmosphere is relaxed and there is a free coffee. Young professionals working there also appreciate company events.
6. Booking.com
Industry: travel and reservations
About the company: I don’t know a single person who hasn’t heard about the most popular travel reservations company. Booking.com’s headquarters is located in Amsterdam, in a large office in the Piet Hein buildings complex and it’s one of the most desired workplace in the city. The company was built on data-driven innovation but very quickly their main purpose became to empower people to experience the world.
Why work there: Booking.com currently hires 17,000 employees (globally) – all sharing passion for travel and innovation. The company is open and the company’s formula really means something for the management. The company’s great culture is very often discussed by previous and current employees. And the view from the building… Many would kill for such an amazing office location. You would also like wide opportunities to grow and develop your career aspirations. One of the most solid employers in the Netherlands!
7. Onboard
Industry: staffing and outsourcing
About the company: Onboard was founded in 1999. The main idea behind was a growing need of finding new talents and experienced professionals for companies in the Netherlands. Linking attractive vacancies with candidate profiles that fit – the mission was simple but meaningful. The company has been constantly working on improvements – they have been using process-driven methods in order to process data as quick as possible. And it has paid dividends – Onboard is now one of the most popular workplaces to submit a resume in the city.
Why work there: Events, events, events. The company hosts many workshops and conferences for HR professionals and talent acquisition influencers. If you are curious about the latest trends that will shape the future of HR, Onboard might be your place to work. Inspirational tasks, exceptional colleagues and a very decent paycheck. Highly recommended!
8. Bynder
Industry: Computer hardware and software
About the company: Bynder was founded for companies that need to automate their branding. Founders and employees at Bynder consider their workplace as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for those who want to manage all marketing activities from one place. They prove that one tool might be enough to handle all marketing tasks.
Why work there: Competitive salaries, healthy food and endless fun – this is how I’d describe Bynder as a workplace. There’s in-house lunch in the office, ice cream and a variety of fresh fruit. One may say, the Bynder’s fridge is always full. There are also regular massages for employees. And the most exclusive perk I’ve heard about – Bynder has an unlimited vacation policy (as the first Dutch company). What does it mean? You have a complete freedom over taking holiday. And they are not going to discourage you from taking it!
9. Adyen
Industry: Financial transaction processing
About the company: Adyen is a payment platform providing a top-notch infrastructure connecting directly to Visa, MasterCard and other payment methods used by customers all over the world. Among Adyen customers you’ll find Facebook, Spotify, L’Oreal, Uber and many other global companies. The company offers payments across online, mobile and in-store channels.
Why work there: Adyen employees keep saying that the company is just unique. There’s something called Adyen Formula focusing only on talented, smart and ambitious people working together to develop the best product ever. It seems like employees enjoy themselves while working. The atmosphere is nothing but inspiring. No micro-management, sophisticated hierarchy, just the opposite – the power of independence counts! When saying about the perks – there are also catered lunches, happy hours and amazing team events. A great plus for unlimited vacation with no stigma to using it.
10. Effectory
Industry: Consulting
About the company: the main vision behind Effectory was to help small and medium companies collect feedback and ideas from their employees. Now, Effectory is one of the European leading feedback specialists. They cooperate with more than 1,000 customers from various industries (retail, services, production, non-profit). Effectory has developed a series of digital tools and an innovative feedback platform which has made the company develop fast. Currently, they have two offices: in Amsterdam and in Cape Town.
Why work there: working at Effectory, besides constant development, is fun. There are legendary office parties and organic lunch served daily. The company has their own boat to cruise canals of Amsterdam. As with hard work comes fun, employees often enjoy Friday drinks and regular events. Make sure you take part in their annual Big Day!
11. Hubs
Industry: Commercial printing
About the company: The next industrial revolution is what describes Hubs. Currently, the company is the world’s largest network of manufacturing services. Their platform enables engineers and product designers to find the best (when it comes to delivery time and the price) manufacturing solution nearby. Founded 7 years ago, the company network has already produced more than 1,800,000 parts so far. In short, Hubs makes manufacturing easy – from the very prototyping to production.
Why work there: Hubs is one of the leading 3D printing companies in Europe. Company employees praise the creative atmosphere and innovations behind daily operations. If growing your career is crucial for you, this is a place to spread your wings. Latest technologies, competitive salary, a work-life-balance atmosphere – those are things you don’t want to miss out on when choosing your workplace. Definitely worth starting your career there!
12. Etergo
Industry: Electric scooters
About the company: If you’re looking for a famous workplace, you must have heard about Etergo. Why? First and foremost, the company has broken Dutch crowdfounding records, having raised approximately 20 million euro from over 5,000 investors. The main vision behind bringing Etergo to life was to put an end on scooters running on fossil fuels. Etergo wants to reinvent personal smart mobility and their first product – AppScooter – might be the future of electric mobility.
Why work there: On top of the hype around Etergo, there are many other perks included. First, young and international team of 70 in the Amsterdam office. A flat structure, warm atmosphere bursting with creativeness, cross-functional teams of exceptionally smart people. Then, a very decent salary and an amazing opportunity to use high-end electric scooters in your free time. Why not give it a go?
13. Netflix
Industry: Media services
About the company: the US media-services provider has now 2 offices in Amsterdam (near the Heineken Brewery and at Amsterdam Slotetrdijk). Soon, from May 2020 there will be on more offices near the Olympic Stadium (which means the total number of employees will increase to 1,200).
Why work there: Dynamic, fast-pace environment, dozens of different nationalities – Netflix is a workplace for those who have the ambition to make online media accessible for anyone. Oh, and did I mention that they try to pay 20% more than other famous companies in the city? The company is everything but pinchpenny – employees travel business class and get a new MacBook Pro very year. A great plus for location (both offices) – they are easily accessible by public transportation, bike and car. There are also cool Netflix bikes to loan and delicious catered lunches every day.
14. Picnic Technologies
Industry: Online delivery service
About the company: As you can see at LinkedIn, Picnic Technologies is the fastest growing startup in the Netherlands, as well as the fastest growing online supermarket in Europe. The company was founded in 2015 as an online grocery delivery service that uses electric vehicles. The best thing about the startup is that the cost for the groceries is low and the delivery is free.
Why work there: If you like working with people who are always curious and hungry for a challenge, this is your place to go! Many possibilities to grow (trainings, Dutch lessons, stress management classes), amazing projects and… the office dogs! Yep, that’s true – any time you have a bad day or need some exercise, you can borrow a dog and go for a walk. Absolutely stellar! Oh, and each weekend starts with Friday drinks, karaoke sessions or pub quizzes.
Visit Picnic Technologies website
15. Felyx
Industry: Electric scooters
About the company: Another startup behind electric scooters to rent. Felyx has developed a smartphone app, currently used by over 60,000 active users. The app was launched in 2017. It enables users to locate, reserve and unlock available electric scooters. The system is free-floating which means you can leave the scooter anywhere. Felyx presents themselves as the transportation revolution to the world.
Why work there: Felyx is not just a workplace. Employees say that the company is more a friendly group of ambitious people who want to make a direct impact on the world. No old-fashioned office politics – just a challenging environment, transparency, and flat hierarchy. A perfect place for those who want to take off their career in a creative team, and get a decent paycheck at the same time.
Salaries in Amsterdam – a Quick Recap
The median gross income for a person working in Amsterdam in 2019 is 48,000 euro annually (compared to 36,000 euro in the Netherlands). A salary can of course vary depending on age, sector, hours worked and professional experience. Compared to other European cities, salaries in Amsterdam are at average levels (a bit lower than e.g. in London). The median gross expat salary in Amsterdam in 2019 is just the same as the total average – 48,000 euro annually. Below you’ll find the average salaries based on years of experience provided by recruiters.
| Function / years of experience | 0 – 3 | 3 – 5 | 5 – 10 |
| Administration | 1,800 – 2,300 euro | 2,400 – 2,700 euro | 2,800 – 3,100 euro |
| Marketing specialist | 2,300 – 2,800 euro | 3,500 – 4,000 euro | 5,000 – 5,500 euro |
| Sales | 2,200 – 3,000 euro | 3,700 – 4,000 euro | 5,000 – 6,000 euro |
| HR specialist | 2,200 – 5,000 euro | 2,800 – 5,500 euro | 3,200 – 6,000 euro |
| Financial controller | 2,800 – 3,500 euro | 3,500 – 4,000 euro | 4,000 – 5,000 euro |
| Software developer | 2,600 – 3,500 euro | 3,800 – 4,200 euro | 4,500 – 5,000 euro |
| Data analyst | 2,200 – 3,700 euro | 3,800 – 4,200 euro | 4,500 – 5,000 euro |
If you’re an expat, on top of years of professional experience your language skills really count. Problems with Dutch? No worries, there are some free courses you can take. Check some of them here.
And if you feel like starting your own business, you might consider one of the most recommended co-working spaces in Amsterdam. Check WHERE to boost your creativity.
