Tech in Europe on the decline? The reality of the engineering talent market in the Netherlands tells a different story

by Ross Henderson, Director at Harnham.

 

If you read the news, you’d be forgiven for thinking tech in Europe is slowing down or even in decline.

That’s not what we’re seeing.

We’ve been supporting a data technology company hiring software engineers to work on a product that needs to scale to millions of users, with AI embedded into both the product and the development workflows.

The brief is tough. High expectations, complex systems, real scale, and a genuine push to use AI in a meaningful way.

But the interesting part isn’t the difficulty. It’s the talent.

The engineers we’re seeing come from:

• Big Tech (Google, Amazon, Meta)
• Dutch Tech (Adyen, Booking.com, Mollie)
• International tech companies (Spotify, Uber)
• US businesses hiring remotely into Europe (Stripe, Datadog, Databricks)
• Fintech / HFT (Optiver, IMC, Flow Traders)

It’s a strong mix. People who’ve worked on real systems, at real scale, often with AI already embedded into production environments rather than just experimentation.

So the talent is there.

The bigger question is: how do you secure it?

From what we’ve seen, a few things make the difference.

1. Have a genuine technical challenge

The best engineers aren’t motivated by job specs. They’re motivated by problems.

If you can clearly explain what’s hard about your system, how AI is being used in practice, and where the real complexity sits, you’re in a much stronger position.

2. Get your engineering culture right

People at this level care about how things are built.

Clear processes, good standards, and teams that take pride in their work matter. As well as the opportunity to act as a multiplier to that culture and improve it.

3. Be clear on where the company is going

Strong engineers want to know they’re building towards something.

A clear product and company vision makes a big difference when candidates are weighing up options.

4. Have a credible approach to AI

Almost every company is talking about AI.

Very few are doing it in a way that stands up to scrutiny.

The teams that stand out are the ones using AI to genuinely improve how software is built, not just adding features for the sake of it. That could be through developer tooling, automation, or embedding AI into core product functionality.

5. Move quickly

This one is simple but critical.

The roles we worked on were closed within two weeks.

Not because the process was rushed, but because the best candidates don’t stay available for long. If you hesitate, you lose them.

There’s no shortage of strong engineers in the Netherlands right now.

But the companies that actually hire them are the ones who combine a real technical challenge, a strong environment, a credible AI story, and the ability to move with intent.

 

If you’re hiring software engineers in the Netherlands and want to understand what it takes to attract top-tier talent in today’s market, we can help.

Get in touch with our team to discuss your hiring plans, or explore how we’re supporting companies building high-performing engineering teams across Europe.