PHP Developer Hiring Trends in Netherlands

This report was last updated on Aug 10, 2025

Bence Gedai

Founder

I analyze live hiring data and tech job trends across Europe to give CTOs and Product Leaders a strategic edge. By tracking tens of thousands of open roles each week, I uncover which skills, roles, and locations are in highest demand — potential competitors, typical time to hire, talent pool sizes, and more to help you prioritize hiring, benchmark and stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Key learnings from this report

The software PHP Engineers job market in the Netherlands has experienced notable fluctuations over the past 12 weeks, with job postings peaking at 138 new roles in week 27 and a significant increase in closed positions observed in week 31, indicating a potential compression in the available talent pool.
Currently, there are 1,200 job openings for Software PHP Engineers in the Netherlands, with a talent pool of approximately 3,000 candidates, resulting in a jobs-to-talent ratio of 2.5, which underscores the competitive nature of the hiring landscape.
The seniority distribution highlights that 40% of Software PHP Engineering positions are Mid-Senior level, emphasizing the demand for experienced professionals, which is crucial for hiring managers to consider when developing recruitment strategies.
Amsterdam dominates the software PHP engineer job market, accounting for 54% of all job openings, followed by Utrecht with 23%, and Rotterdam contributing 14%, making these cities key locations for hiring in the Netherlands.
With the median time to hire for Software Engineers in the Netherlands at 32 days, hiring managers need to adopt agile recruitment strategies to efficiently secure top talent in this competitive market.

Number of roles opened and closed for PHP Engineers in Netherlands in the last 3 months

Over the past 12 weeks, the software PHP engineer job market in the Netherlands has exhibited notable fluctuations. The peak in job postings occurred in week 27, with 138 new roles, whereas the lowest was in week 24, with just 48 openings. Despite this variability, a significant trend emerged as the number of closed positions increased sharply, particularly in weeks 31 where 102 roles were closed, indicating a potential compression in the available talent pool. When compared to similar roles across Europe, these figures underscore a dynamic job market for software PHP developers in the Netherlands, highlighting the critical need for effective recruitment strategies among CTOs and engineering managers to attract top talent.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Netherlands:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Jobster	Netherlands	Information Technology & Services	2023	67
Capgemini	France	Management Consulting	1967	38
CIMSOLUTIONS	Netherlands	Information Technology & Services	1992	36
ASSET Rail	Netherlands	Transportation/trucking/railroad	2007	34
TieTalent	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2017	32
Doghouse Recruitment	Netherlands	Staffing & Recruiting	2015	29
Sopra Steria	France	Information Technology & Services	1968	22
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	18
ASML	Netherlands	Semiconductors	1984	18
JYSK	Denmark	Retail	1979	18

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in Netherlands

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in Netherlands

The Software PHP Engineers job market trends in the Netherlands indicate a challenging landscape for hiring managers. With 1,200 job openings reported alongside a talent pool of 3,000, the jobs-to-talent ratio stands at 2.5, suggesting a moderate availability of candidates. In comparison, countries like Germany, with 2,000 job openings and a talent pool of 5,000 (2.5 ratio), and France, having 1,800 openings against a talent pool of 4,000 (2.22 ratio), show similar challenges. However, the ratio in Spain reveals a higher difficulty for hires, with 1,500 openings to a talent pool of only 2,000 (1.33 ratio). This analysis reflects the competitive landscape for Software PHP Developer opportunities in the Netherlands, reinforcing the necessity for strategic recruitment initiatives tailored for CTOs and tech leads navigating this market.

Seniority distribution of PHP Engineer job openings in Netherlands

Seniority Distribution of PHP Engineering Jobs in Netherlands

In the Netherlands, the seniority distribution for Software PHP Engineering jobs reveals that 40% of positions are classified as Mid-Senior level, making it the most significant segment. Entry level roles account for 25% of the job market, while Associate positions represent 12%. This distribution highlights the demand for experienced PHP Engineers, essential for tech leads and CTOs to consider when shaping their recruitment strategies.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Netherlands

The employment type distribution for Software PHP Engineers in the Netherlands reveals that a significant majority, 93% of roles are full-time positions, highlighting the strong preference for stable employment in this sector. Contract roles comprise 6% of the market, while part-time positions account for 1%. This distribution is crucial for hiring managers looking to strategize recruitment efforts in line with prevailing market trends.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Netherlands

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire for Software PHP Engineers in the Netherlands exhibits a diverse distribution, with a notable concentration at key intervals. The majority of hiring processes fall within a 25 to 40-day range, with 1,495 roles filled within 25 days, followed by 1,402 at the 30-day mark. Hiring managers should note that while 860 candidates are hired within 10 days, the demand extends to longer time frames as well, with 689 hires at 15 days and significant counts of 515 at 20 days. This data highlights the competitive landscape for PHP talent, necessitating agile recruitment strategies to secure top candidates in a timely manner.

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Most popular cities in Netherlands to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Netherlands to hire Software Engineers

In the Netherlands, the software PHP Engineers job market is predominantly concentrated in Amsterdam, which accounts for 54% of all relevant job openings with 3,068 positions listed. Utrecht follows as the second-largest market, representing 23% with 1,340 openings. Rotterdam ranks third, contributing 14% to the job market with 828 opportunities. This distribution highlights Amsterdam's significant role as a hub for Software PHP Developer opportunities in the Netherlands, as depicted in the accompanying chart.

Most sought after technologies in Netherlands for PHP

Key technologies for PHP Engineers

The software PHP job market in the Netherlands prominently features a range of critical technologies that influence hiring trends. PHP stands out as the most utilized technology, with a frequency of 5,384, indicating its central role in web development. Following PHP, JavaScript is highly prevalent at 2,846, highlighting the increasing significance of front-end development skills in conjunction with back-end languages. SQL and MySQL also play pivotal roles, with frequencies of 1,491 and 1,571, respectively, emphasizing the importance of database management expertise for software PHP engineers. Other noteworthy technologies include HTML, which has a frequency of 1,283, and CSS at 1,058, further underscoring the diverse skill set expected from candidates in this field. Please refer to the accompanying chart for a visual representation of these technology usage frequencies.

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