Job Fairs & Career Events in North, East & South Netherlands

Last updated: 14 September 2026. Career events in Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Overijssel, Gelderland, Flevoland, Noord-Brabant, Limburg and Zeeland where you can meet employers in person, plus the national ones. Everything below is checked on the organiser's own event page. Based in the Randstad? See expat-friendly job fairs and career events in the Randstad.

September 2026

• Kunststoffenbeurs — plastics and rubber. 16–17 September, 10:00–17:00, Brabanthallen, 's-Hertogenbosch. English and Dutch. Free. Who it's for: engineers, R&D and operations people. New this year: four sector hubs with demonstrations and round tables instead of rows of stands, plus sixteen machine builders in one plaza.
• Meet & Greet Icare — care assistant. 17 September, 14:30–16:30, Icare, Straussplein 1, Zwolle. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: career changers and returners in care. One employer opening its door, with no fair around it.
• Discover your chances in construction and engineering. 22 September, 15:00–17:00, Streekweg 22, Nijmegen. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: anyone considering a technical trade. Set up specifically to connect visitors with regional employers.
• Site visit: underground infrastructure at Hanab. 24 September, 10:00–12:00, Hanab, Leeuweriklaan 1, Son. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: people who want a trade with two decades of guaranteed work behind it. A contractor shows what a fitter actually does, including the route up to site supervisor. Limited places, safety shoes required.
• JobOlympics Banenmarkt. 24 September, 14:00–17:00, Sportcentrum Valkenhuizen, Arnhem. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: jobseekers in Arnhem, Zevenaar and Lingewaard. Second edition, with profession orientation in game form.
• Open Bedrijvenmarkt Zwolle. 24 September, 11:00–17:00, Zwolle. Dutch. Free, no registration. Who it's for: anyone in the Zwolle region. A low-threshold vacancy and internship market where you talk to employers directly.
• Jobshop — two staffing agencies, walk in. 29 September, 09:00–12:00, UWV Tilburg, Burgemeester Brokxlaan 1680. Dutch. Free, no registration. Who it's for: anyone who wants work quickly. Runs every two weeks with a different pair of agencies; this edition is Adecco and Logistic Force.
• Meet & Greet with unrecognised talent. 29 September, 14:00–16:30, Harm Buiterplein 1, Groningen. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: anyone whose talent does not show up on their CV — explicitly including people with foreign diplomas. Employers come specifically to meet this group.
• Is working in care or social work right for you? 29 September, 09:00–13:00, Eindhoven area. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: career changers and returners. Repeats on 1 October, 13:00–17:00.
• Banenmarkt De Kempen. 30 September, 14:30–17:00, Bladel. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: people in the Kempen area just south of Eindhoven. Small and regional, but it borders Brainport and many manufacturers there have international teams.

October 2026

• Scoor je match — job fair. 1 October, 13:30–16:30, Atik Stadion, Roosendaal. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: jobseekers in Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom. Unusual two-step setup: meet at the fair first, then a company visit the following week if there is mutual interest.
• IamExpat Fair Eindhoven. 3 October, 10:00–17:00, Klokgebouw, Strijp-S, Eindhoven. English. Free with registration. Who it's for: internationals in the south and their partners. A bigger careers section this year including Brainport, two international centres, extra support for accompanying partners and a childcare corner. Exhibitors here hire internationals as a matter of course.
• Dag van de Techniek Dongen. 3 October, 10:00–15:00, HeuvelPark, Heuvelstraat 5, Dongen. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: anyone curious about technical work. Visual and hands-on, so language is less of a barrier than the Dutch listing suggests.
• Introduction programme care and social work at Yonder. 5 October, 14:00–17:00, Yonder, Wandelboslaan 28, Tilburg. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: people moving out of desk work into care.
• Banenbeurs Stadskanaal. 7 October, 13:00–16:30, Geert Teis Theater, Stadskanaal. Dutch. Free, no registration. Who it's for: jobseekers in East Groningen. Employers in engineering, industry, care and business services, plus training providers. There is also a wider day programme from 09:00 to 16:30 at the same venue.
• Mini job fair, care — Elburg. 7 October, 10:00–12:00, Lange Wijden 33, Elburg. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: anyone considering care work. Very small and very low-threshold, which is exactly why it works.
• StartFest Assen. 8 October, 10:00–17:00, Assen. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: starters, career changers and returners in North Drenthe. A full day around getting started with work and development.
• Discover your future in care. 9 October, 10:00–12:00, Werkcentrum Tilburg, Burgemeester Brokxlaan 1680. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: people exploring care, with regional care employers present.
• Dag van de Techniek Oisterwijk. 10 October, 10:00–14:00, 2College Durendael, Van Kemenadelaan 5, Oisterwijk. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: same formula as Dongen — technical firms showing their work and talking to visitors personally.
• Kijk Binnen Bij Bedrijven — companies open their doors. 10–16 October, West Brabant. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: anyone who would rather have a conversation than submit a CV. Over a hundred companies host visitors for a tour, a presentation or a one-to-one. The 2025 edition had 114 companies and 1.500 visitors.
• Information session Fokus Wonen. 14 October, 10:30–12:00, Eindhoven area. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: career changers and returners in care. One employer explaining the work and the open roles, no experience required. Repeats on 12 November and 15 December.
• Yonder Safety Day — police, defence and enforcement. 15 October, 14:00–19:00, Yonder, Gershwinstraat 10, Tilburg. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: anyone drawn to public safety work. Note that most of these roles require Dutch nationality or a minimum period of residence, so check that before you invest time.
• Want to work as an insulation fitter? 19 October, 10:30–12:30, Stichting Metaal- en Scheepsbouw Opleidingen, Groningen. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: career changers wanting a technical trade in the north, where shortages are structural. You see the training site and meet the people who train and hire.
• Ontdekdezorg Meet & Greet Waalwijk. 29 October, 16:00–18:00, Buurthuis Bloemenoord, Waalwijk. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: people who have never worked in care. The employers are explicitly looking for exactly that.
• Brabant zoekt Talent Festival. Thursday 29 October, 15:00–19:00, Eindhoven area. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: everyone. The largest labour market event in southeast Brabant, bringing employers, training providers and jobseekers together. Brainport employers are well represented and many of them also recruit in English.
• Shop Your Job — care and social work. 29 October, 14:00–17:00, Lucrato, Egerlaan 15, Apeldoorn. Dutch. Free, no registration. Who it's for: starters, career changers and returners in care. Rare and worth knowing: the organisers deliberately exclude staffing agencies, so all 25+ organisations you meet are direct employers.

November 2026

• Banenmarkt Zeeland at Contacta. 3–5 November, Goes. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: jobseekers, career changers and people retraining in Zeeland. A regional recruitment platform inside the larger Contacta trade fair.
• Coffee hour on care qualifications at GGz Breburg. 3 November, 09:00–10:00, Jan Wierhof 7, Tilburg. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: anyone considering training in mental health care. One-to-one coffee with a practice trainer — about as personal as a company visit gets. Repeats 15 December.
• Banenmarkt Dongen. 5 November, 10:00–12:00, De Cammeleur, Hoge Ham 126, Dongen. Dutch. Free, walk in. Who it's for: anyone in Midden-Brabant. A compact morning fair.
• Open Bedrijvendag Emmen. 7 November, 10:00–16:00, Emmen. Dutch. Free, no invitation or CV needed. Who it's for: anyone who would rather talk to employees than to recruiters. The tight northern labour market makes employers here more open to English speakers than you would expect.
• Precisiebeurs / Precision Fair. 18–19 November, 10:00–17:00, Brabanthallen, 's-Hertogenbosch. English and Dutch. Free with registration. Who it's for: high-tech engineers and R&D professionals. 400+ exhibitors in mechatronics, metrology, photonics and vacuum technology — the entire Brainport supply chain in one hall, and many exhibitors are recognised sponsors. Twenty-fifth edition.
• National Work Visit Day. 18 November, nationwide. English and Dutch. Free. Who it's for: everyone, at any stage. Hundreds of organisations open their doors for a one-to-one conversation or an open day and you choose who to visit.
• Werkfestival Steenwijk. 19 November, Rabo Theater De Meenthe, Steenwijk. Dutch. Free, including food, drinks and entertainment. Who it's for: anyone in the Zwolle and Steenwijkerland region. Designed so you meet a large number of companies in one go.
• Nijmegen Career Event. 24–25 November, Nijmegen. English and Dutch. Free. Who it's for: students and recent graduates in all disciplines. Companies recruiting early-career talent in the Nijmegen region.

January and February 2027

• Coffee and introductions at Mijzo — a future in care. 26 January, 17:00–18:00, Mijzo, Dongepark 1, Dongen. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: people considering a paid work-and-learn qualification in care. Runs every two months; further dates are 2 March, 6 April, 18 May, 15 June and 6 July 2027.
• Discover Healthcare Week. 8–13 February, nationwide. Dutch. Free. Who it's for: career changers considering care and social work. A full week of open days and shadowing sessions.

In-house days: one company, a small group, no fixed date

An in-house day is the most underrated route there is. One employer hosts a small group for a tour, a case, a management presentation and drinks — often with a CV selection beforehand, which makes it an informal first interview rather than a queue. Most in-house days in the Netherlands are concentrated in Amsterdam and Utrecht, so if you are open to travelling, the full national list is worth browsing:

• Magnet.me in-house days — a rolling calendar across 6.200+ employers, filterable by city and date. Many participating firms work in English and are recognised sponsors.
• STEP in-house days — arranged through student associations. Small groups, direct access to hiring managers, mostly finance, consulting and business services.

Closer to home, the recurring employer visits listed above are the southern and eastern equivalent: GGz Breburg, Mijzo, Fokus Wonen and Yonder all open their own doors on a fixed rhythm.

Meetups hosted at an employer's office

A professional meetup held at a company's own office is a job fair in disguise: you spend an evening inside the building, the host feeds you, and the engineering leadership is in the room. No CV, no application, and they are in English. The strongest of these currently run in Amsterdam, which is within reach of most of the country by train:

• AI Native Netherlands — hosted by Studytube. 29 September, 18:00–21:00, Danzigerkade 17, Amsterdam.
• Amsterdam JUG OpenTelemetry workshop — hosted by Dash0. 30 September, from 17:30, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 162, Amsterdam. Hands-on, limited seats.
• AI Native Netherlands — hosted by AWS. 27 October, 18:00–21:00, Mr. Treublaan 7, Amsterdam.

In the south, Brainport Eindhoven keeps a calendar of technology and community evenings that often take place on a company site.

Communities that meet regularly

• Holland Expat Center South — the busiest English-language events calendar outside the Randstad, covering Eindhoven and the wider Brabant region, with networking evenings, walk-in advice and employer meetups.
• Breda Internationals — a small, active community in West Brabant. Low online visibility, which is exactly why you get noticed there.
• Tilburg International Club — the same for Tilburg and surroundings.
• Expat Centre Maastricht Region — recurring sessions where internationals sit down directly with regional recruiters, plus networking evenings. South Limburg has its own labour market, including across the border towards Aachen and Liège.
• Expat Center East Netherlands — monthly meet & greets for internationals in Twente, a region far less picked over than the Randstad.
• International Welcome Center North — a non-profit welcome centre for the northern provinces, handling the practical side of arriving plus social and informative events.
• Lifeport Welcome Center — for the Arnhem and Nijmegen region.
• Brainport Eindhoven — the regional calendar for the tech cluster around Eindhoven.

Announced, dates still to come

• MedTech Career Event Brainport, Eindhoven — autumn 2026. Medtech employers in hardware, embedded, QA/RA and clinical engineering, from student to experienced engineer. English.
• Meet & Greet Leeuwarden, De Harmonie — 12 November 2026. The largest Frisian job event of the autumn. Times and costs had not been published at the time of writing, so check the organiser's page before you plan around it.
• Business Days Twente Career Fair, Enschede — February 2027. 160+ companies at the University of Twente, mostly technology, engineering and business, accessible in English.
• Banenmarkt Veenendaal — autumn 2026. An evening fair with close to thirty regional employers, no registration needed. The event page still does not name a date.
• Banenmarkt Drachten, De Lawei — 3 March 2027. Third edition; earlier ones drew around 75 employers and 700 visitors, with CV checks and free portrait photos. The organiser's page does not render reliably, so confirm before travelling.

Spring — already worth your calendar

• Open Bedrijvenfestival Zwolle. 4 March 2027, 11:00–17:30. Free, no registration. Employers from engineering, hospitality, care, logistics, facilities and government, all with open vacancies.
• THE Northern Job Fair, Martiniplaza Groningen. 5–6 March 2027. 150+ leading northern employers plus retraining options, with an English-language track that makes it usable for internationals. Registration opens earlier.
• Open Bedrijvenfestival Emmeloord. 25 March 2027, 11:00–17:30, Congreshal Luimes. Free including refreshments, no registration. Jobs and internships in the Noordoostpolder.
• Open Bedrijvendag Doetinchem, Achterhoek — late March 2027. A multi-day open house across a region with strong manufacturing and persistent technical vacancies.
• Open Bedrijven Dag Kempen & Peel, southeast Brabant — late March 2027. Around 60 companies open from 10:00 to 16:00, explicitly including career switchers.
• Brabant International Expo 2027. 10 April 2027, Eindhoven area. English, free. Employers, service providers and communities for internationals in Brabant under one roof — together with the IamExpat Fair, the key event of the year for internationals in the south.
• Open Bedrijvenfestival Meppel. 15 April 2027, 11:00–17:00, Grote of Mariakerk. Free, no registration. Note that search engines keep listing a September 2026 date for Meppel — this is the real edition.

Two things that make the difference

The north and east are less crowded, and that is the point. Groningen, Friesland, Drenthe, Twente and the Achterhoek all have structural shortages and far fewer international candidates walking in the door. An employer who sees three hundred CVs in Amsterdam might see three in Emmen. The travel time is real, but so is the difference in attention you get.

Don't skip the Dutch-language events. Most of what is listed here is in Dutch, and a lot of internationals rule those out automatically. If you have some Dutch, a hands-on day or a regional job fair is a very cheap way to meet employers who rarely see international candidates — which is exactly why you stand out there. Hands-on formats in particular carry very little language load.

Career coaching helps.

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