Industry in the Netherlands is focused around food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining and other high technology areas, as well as a strong service sector. As such, the highest paid jobs tend to be in these fields. Furthermore, it means that specialist training in education (such as a university degree or vocational qualification) is important in opening up such aspirational positions in your own career.
According to Salary Explorer, some of the best-paid jobs in the Netherlands include roles such as Managing Director (€150,000). In this role, you would be expected to implement company policy and ensure continued profitability. For such a position, it would be expected that you would have at least a Master’s Degree in Business Administration, with a proven track record of working in a high stress environment and being able to lead a team and deliver results. Another top paying job is Business Analyst (€115,000). This role would require a good understanding of systems engineering concepts and modelling techniques, as well as an ability to develop a cost/benefit analysis. As with Managing Director, a university degree (at least to Bachelor level) would be required, as well as relevant experience in industry. Another job in a similar field is Database Analyst (€84,000), which requires a high degree of competence in IT, with good analytical skills. As before, a degree with relevant experience is a must.
For other highly paid jobs, a university degree in the Netherlands comes with rewards in terms of very good starting wages. These are usually in line with most other European countries, and slightly higher than in Southern European countries. The average annual salary is around €27,000, but this is industry dependant. For those with MSc degrees, one can expect a salary range between €26,000 to €48,000, with Doctorates (PhDs) earning up to €60,000 on average.
Whilst its certainly possible to find a well-paid job in the Netherlands with the right competencies, the highly competitive nature of the most well paid positions means that a university degree is usually a prerequisite, followed by a number of years of industry experience with a proven track record of being able to deliver results. The highest paid jobs, as we have seen, are in business and IT. In general, computer literacy, as well as good analytic, team work and communication skills will go a long way in putting you in a good position to move to the very top of the career ladder. With the right motivation, the sky is the limit.
Adam Watson
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