Highest Paying Jobs in the Netherlands 2026, Including Routes Without a Degree

Which jobs pay best in the Netherlands, and can you reach a good income without going to university? This guide uses the latest official wage figures from CBS (Statistics Netherlands), published in October 2026 and covering 2025, to show the highest-paid occupations. It also covers well-paid routes through MBO (middelbaar beroepsonderwijs, the Dutch secondary vocational education system), such as technicians, electricians and nurses, for people who prefer practical training.

How to Read These Figures

The CBS table gives gross hourly wages by occupation group. They exclude holiday allowance, bonuses and overtime, so actual annual pay is usually higher. We show the median (the middle earner) and the 75th percentile (what the better-paid quarter earn at least). Across all employees, the 2025 median was €26.90 an hour and the 75th percentile was €36.40.

To turn an hourly figure into a rough full-time monthly salary, multiply by 40 hours and by about 4.33 weeks. For example, €40 an hour on a 40-hour week is roughly €6,900 a month before holiday allowance. Many Dutch contracts are 36 to 38 hours, so adjust accordingly.

The Highest Paying Occupations

Medical doctors show the biggest spread: the median includes junior doctors still in training, while experienced medical specialists earn far more. The same applies to lawyers, where pay at large commercial firms is much higher than in the public sector. Some very high-paying jobs, such as airline pilots, are not shown separately because CBS sample sizes are too small for a reliable figure.

Highest Paying Sectors

Your sector matters too. CBS reports that in 2025 the average annual wage per employee job was highest in mining and quarrying (delfstoffenwinning), which includes oil and gas, at about €78,600, against an average of about €40,900 across all employee jobs. Financial services, energy and ICT also pay well above average. Hospitality had the lowest annual wages, largely because of part-time and student work. Location plays a smaller role than in many countries, but salaries in the Randstad region around Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague and Utrecht tend to be higher, and so do rents, so compare offers on what you keep after housing costs.

Well-Paid Jobs Without a University Degree

You do not need a university degree to earn a solid income in the Netherlands. Many technical and care jobs are reached through MBO courses, often combined with an apprenticeship (BBL, where you work and study at the same time and earn a wage). These jobs are in steady demand, partly because of the energy transition and an ageing population.

These medians sit close to or above the national median of €26.90, and experienced workers in the top quarter earn more. Extra pay for shifts, overtime, call-outs and irregular hours, which is not included in the CBS figures, can lift take-home pay significantly in technical and care roles. Experienced electricians and installers who later go self-employed (zzp, freelance) can earn more again, but they take on business risk and lose employee benefits.

How to Get Into a Well-Paid Trade

1. Pick a field with demand: Electrical and installation work, mechanical maintenance, construction technology and nursing are good starting points.
2. Choose BOL or BBL: BOL is mainly school-based with internships; BBL means you work for an employer most of the week and study one day, earning a wage from the start.
3. Find an employer for BBL: Many installation, construction and care employers recruit apprentices directly. Your MBO college can help.
4. Add certificates: Safety and specialist certificates, such as those for working with electrical installations, make you more valuable.
5. Move up: With experience you can become a lead technician, supervisor or planner, which is where pay rises fastest.

What Raises Your Pay Fastest

• Moving into management: Five of the top ten groups in the CBS data are management roles.
• ICT and data skills: ICT consultants, analysts and managers sit well above the national median.
• Specialisation: Medical specialists, specialised lawyers and senior engineers pull far ahead of the median in their groups.
• Shift and on-call work: In care and technical jobs, irregular-hours allowances add real money.
• Dutch language: Many of the best-paid roles, especially in government, healthcare and law, require fluent Dutch.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Trusting viral salary lists: Many sites publish made-up averages. Use CBS figures and your sector's collective labour agreement (cao) pay scales.
• Paying for fake courses or certificates: Check that any MBO or vocational course is officially recognised before paying. Unrecognised certificates are worth little to employers.
• Agency job traps: Offers through employment agencies (uitzendbureaus) that promise high technical pay but charge for training, housing or tools upfront are a common warning sign.
• Ignoring the minimum wage: Apprentices and young workers have lower minimum rates, but adults aged 21 and over must be paid at least €14.99 gross an hour from 1 July 2026.
• Comparing hourly and annual figures carelessly: Always check whether a figure includes holiday allowance, bonuses and how many hours a week it assumes.

Final Thoughts

The highest-paid jobs in the Netherlands are mostly in management, ICT, medicine, law and senior government roles, with CBS medians above €40 an hour. But a university degree is not the only path to a good income. MBO-trained nurses, technicians, supervisors and skilled tradespeople earn around or above the national median, and demand for their skills is strong. Choose a field with demand, keep adding skills and use official data when comparing offers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Disclaimer: This article is general information only. Wage figures are CBS medians and percentiles for occupation groups and do not include holiday allowance, bonuses or overtime; your own pay will depend on your employer, cao, experience and hours. Always check cbs.nl, rijksoverheid.nl and your collective labour agreement for current figures.