Wages, workforce and how tight the labour market is in each region, from CBS figures.
Median hourly wage
€25.70
The middle half of employees earns €20.90 to €30.70 gross an hour (Netherlands, 2025). +6.2% on 2024.
Machine mechanics in the Netherlands
56,000
People working in 2025, +19% since 2018.
Machine mechanics working in the Netherlands
People working in the occupation, per year.
Employers opened 40 vacancies for every 100 people working as metalworkers and machine mechanics in 2025, against 14 across all occupations.
New vacancies count replacements for people who leave as well as new jobs, so a high number means many employers are recruiting at once, not necessarily a shortage.
Open vacancies per 100 unemployed people (Q3 2026) and the estimated number of machine mechanics in each region.
| Region | Hiring | Vacancies per 100 unemployed | Estimated machine mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amsterdam | Easier than average | 84 | ≈ 2,800 |
| Rotterdam | Easier than average | 79 | ≈ 1,900 |
| The Hague | Easier than average | 79 | ≈ 1,700 |
| Utrecht | Harder than average | 101 | ≈ 1,300 |
| Groningen | Much easier than average | 72 | ≈ 1,700 |
| Friesland | Easier than average | 85 | ≈ 2,000 |
| Drenthe | Harder than average | 103 | ≈ 1,500 |
| Overijssel | Much harder than average | 114 | ≈ 4,000 |
| Flevoland | Much easier than average | 68 | ≈ 1,500 |
| Gelderland | About average | 93 | ≈ 6,600 |
| Utrecht (province) | Harder than average | 101 | ≈ 4,400 |
| North Holland | Easier than average | 84 | ≈ 8,900 |
| South Holland | Easier than average | 79 | ≈ 12,000 |
| Zeeland | Much harder than average | 111 | ≈ 1,200 |
| North Brabant | Much harder than average | 107 | ≈ 9,100 |
| Limburg | About average | 95 | ≈ 3,300 |
Figures from CBS (Statistics Netherlands) StatLine, published under CC BY 4.0, refreshed when CBS publishes:
The verdict compares the region's open vacancies per 100 unemployed people with the Dutch figure for the same quarter. CBS publishes vacancies per province, so a city uses its province. The estimate for a region spreads the national number of people in the occupation like the region's workforce in its occupation class. Figures CBS does not publish, because too few people were surveyed, are left out.
SourceGeek is not affiliated with CBS.
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