The Dutch IT job market in 2026 is moving faster than ever. Demand for cloud engineers, security specialists and platform engineers continues to far outstrip supply — and it shows in both salaries and time-to-fill. If you are looking for a role or trying to hire one, understanding the underlying dynamics will save you a lot of time and frustration.
On the candidate side, salaries have largely stabilised after the big jumps of 2022-2023, but the gap between in-demand skills and the rest has widened. A senior cloud engineer with AWS and Kubernetes experience can still command €7,000-9,000 per month, while a mid-level generalist without a clear specialty sees fewer offers and more competition. The advice: pick a lane and go deep rather than staying broad.
AI-adjacent roles are the fastest growing category we see. This does not mean every company is hiring AI engineers — most are hiring software engineers who can work effectively alongside AI tooling, integrate LLMs into products and understand the operational risks. Prompt engineering as a standalone skill is fading; practical AI integration experience is what matters.
For hiring managers, the interview process has become a real differentiator. Candidates are running parallel processes and dropping out if they do not hear back within five business days. A good hiring process in 2026 has a maximum of three rounds, gives concrete technical feedback and moves from first contact to offer within three weeks. Companies that do this fill roles. Those that do not, lose candidates to faster-moving competitors.
Remote and hybrid preferences have also settled into a clear pattern: the majority of mid-level and senior engineers want two to three days per week in the office. Full remote is still valued at senior level but is less common than it was in 2021-2022. Full on-site is the hardest sell — only roles with exceptional compensation, product mission or tech stack pull that off consistently.
Our biggest take-away from 300+ placements last year: speed and clarity win. Candidates want to know where they stand at every step. Hiring managers want a recruiter who understands the tech, not just the job title. That is exactly what PiM IT focuses on — we only work on IT roles because we understand them from the inside out.