Best Eastern European Countries To Hire Software Developers In 2022/

Eastern Europe is among the world’s most attractive locations for I.T. outsourcing. It is now home to numerous major tech firms, including Apple, Google, IBM, and Microsoft, which all have software development centers.

Smaller software firms have turned their attention to developers in Central and Eastern Europe. Even though Poland, Ukraine, Belarus, the Czech Republic, and other countries charge more for custom software development than India or the Philippines, the cost is still affordable for the U.S. or the U.K.

Programmers from Eastern Europe can provide I.T. services of the highest caliber, with a favorable time zone difference and fewer cultural differences. Outsourcing software development to Eastern Europe is an excellent alternative because of all of that and the ideal cost-to-quality ratio. Today, premier Eastern European software development companies are becoming increasingly popular with brands.

Eastern Europe’s Top Places For Outsourcing I.T. Projects For Software Development

Regarding software development outsourcing in Eastern Europe, Ukraine, Poland, and Romania are the most well-liked locations, with Serbia, Macedonia, Bulgaria, Hungary, and Georgia coming in second.

Here are some data showing these countries’ I.T. industries.

Ukraine

The country’s new government began supporting foreign investment in 2014—this increased investment in Ukrainian I.T. firms, which reached $630 million in the last five years. The largest Ukrainian I.T. hubs are in Kyiv, Lviv, and Kharkiv.

Over 1,000 software development companies now serve the Ukrainian I.T. market, employing 160,000 IT professionals. Moreover, this number will grow exponentially because the country’s universities produce 15,000 tech graduates yearly.

• Ukraine was named the Global Sourcing Association’s “Outsourcing Destination of the Year” in 2017.
• According to Gartner, Ukraine is one of the top 30 countries for offshore services.
• Ukraine ranks third in the world in the number of certified I.T. professionals.
• According to an average score across all HackerRank challenges in 2018, Ukraine is the world’s 11th-best developer country.
• Ukrainian I.T. professionals’ most popular programming languages are Java, JavaScript, C#, PHP, and Python.
• Ukraine has given birth to some of the world’s most well-known startups, including Petcube, Preply, and Grammarly.

Poland

As an EU member with the fastest growing economy, Poland provides favorable conditions for companies considering outsourcing software development.

With over 400 software companies employing over 140,000 skilled professionals and a 5-10% annual growth rate in the I.T. market, the country remains the top offshore destination in Eastern Europe.

• According to the Tholons Globalization Index 2018, Poland ranks 11th among the world’s top 50 digital nations.
• In terms of skills, Polish developers currently rank 4th in the world according to the TopCoder ranking.
• According to HackerRank challenge scores in 2018, Poland is the third best developer country in the world.

Romania

Because the Romanian government once provided favorable tax conditions for companies providing software development services, the industry has overgrown and attracted global technology companies such as Microsoft, Ericsson, HP, and Huawei.

With an annual increase of 7,000 tech graduates, the country now has nearly 100,000 IT professionals working in almost 20,000 companies.

• In 2017, software outsourcing in Romania reached $4.2 billion, accounting for 5% of GDP.
• According to HackerRank challenges, Romania is the 20th best developer country in the world.
• Romania is ranked 28th in A.T. Kearney’s 2019 Global Services Location Index because of its favorable business environment, financial attractiveness of custom software development rates, excellent technical skills, and availability.

Differences Among Eastern European Software Developers

Eastern Europe has become a popular software development outsourcing location in recent years, owing to its attractive cost-to-quality ratio, though not simply low rates like those found in India or the Philippines.

According to Tholons and A.T., Eastern European countries such as Poland, Ukraine, and Romania are among the top outsourcing countries. Kearney is one of the world’s largest consulting firms.

Geographically, these countries are close to each other and Western Europe. Moldova and Romania have the inadequate infrastructure, whereas Ukraine is constantly improving its transportation and road infrastructure. Eastern European countries political situations vary, but they are generally stable.

Eastern European software developers are fluent in English and possess strong technical and soft skills.

Reasons to Hire Eastern European Developers For Software Development

1. The Technical Stack

The technical abilities of Eastern European developers are highly regarded. All the countries mentioned above were heavily influenced by or were Former Republics of the Soviet Union, which left a legacy of relatively high-quality Technical Education in its wake (if not a little too specialized for contemporary tastes). In response to the former market expanding and the latter contracting, the emphasis on education in Eastern Europe has shifted from hardware to software.

Eastern European development teams have years of experience in various programming languages and industries, including healthcare, e-commerce, blockchain, artificial intelligence, IoT, and others. Furthermore, Eastern European software engineers are skilled in mobile app and web development. 

2. Language Abilities

The English proficiency of software developers is critical for successful collaboration. Overall, developers in all reviewed countries have a strong command of English, a requirement in the I.T. industry.

Eastern European developers typically work for multinational corporations, where a high or at least moderate command of the English language is required. German is the second most popular foreign language among developers in Poland, while French is almost as famous in Romania.

3. Education Profile

To stay current on new technologies, developers must continue to self-educate and attend additional training and courses. As a result, opportunities for further education are becoming more widespread and are being administered privately by highly experienced practitioners in the I.T. industry, such as the Lviv I.T. School.

Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian, and Moldovan developers excel at web and custom software development. Eastern European developers’ programming skills can be measured using data from reputable I.T. industry sources such as Hackerrank and TopCoder. 

4. Development Rates

When comparing offshore software development rates by Eastern European countries, their developers offer relatively low prices compared to their Western counterparts. Software development in Eastern Europe is typically two to three times less expensive than in the United States. Among the reviewed countries, Poland has the highest rates for all types of developers — $50-$99/hour, which is still lower than in Western Europe.

Moldova has the most affordable software development outsourcing rates, ranging from $20 to $24 per hour. Ukraine and Romania provide intermediate rates ranging from $25 to $49 per hour.

5. Setting Cultural Values (culture fit or “culture add”)

Despite all of these countries’ communist pasts, the culture of developers can be described as western and progressive. The majority of the developer community consists of young people with more open minds. Regarding mentality and personality, Romanians and Moldavians are more risk-averse, leading to a lack of innovative thinking.

In turn, Ukrainian and Polish developers have more extensive experience working with global technology companies and top software development firms in Europe and other countries.

6. Size of the Talent Pool

When choosing an Eastern European outsourcing location for software development, the size of the talent pool is critical. Unfortunately, it is often difficult to estimate the exact number of software developers, but local agencies tend to provide reports on their countries’ statistics every few years.

The number of employees in I.T. and Communications is generally displayed in official statistics. Q&A engineers, designers, business analysts, project and product managers, and other professionals work in the I.T. sector.

According to reported figures, the ICT industry employs 244 000 people in Poland, 110 000 in Romania, 160 000 in Ukraine, and 12 500 in Moldova. Approximately half of these individuals are software developers. Several Ukrainian software developers, for example, have chosen to work in Poland, and Romanian software development firms frequently hire Moldovan developers.

Each country studied has something unique to offer in terms of software development expertise. For example, Romania is well-known for its involvement in fin-tech, Poland is ideal for global technology companies’ R&D departments, Ukrainian developers are well-prepared to work with cutting-edge technologies, and Moldova is a good choice for mid-sized projects.

How to Find an Offshore Software Development Company in Eastern Europe

If you are considering hiring Eastern European developers for your project, consider the following:

• Explore the profiles and reviews of software agencies on sites such as Clutch, LinkedIn, Upwork, and others.
• Contact local recruiters to assist you in selecting the developer(s) from their talent pool.
• Establish an offshore development center in an Eastern European country with the help of a local software agency.
• Contact your local IT department. Communities to connect clients with Europe’s best outsourcing firms

Which Eastern European Country Should You Go With For Software Development

Here are some hints to help you decide which country to choose for your project:

• Examine the technology stack required for your project. Each Eastern European country has its technical strengths regarding local software engineers. 
• Examine your financial situation. Because of the differences in the cost of living in different Eastern European countries, developers’ hourly rates vary slightly.
• Is your company an established one or a new one? For example, Ukraine is the best place for startups, whereas Polish development houses tend to focus on enterprise solutions, so this is an important distinction to make.

FAQs for Eastern European Software Developers

1. What are the best Eastern European countries for software development outsourcing?

According to experts, Poland, Romania, and Ukraine are the three top locations for I.T. outsourcing in the Eastern European region. Because Poland and Romania are European Union members, the European Union’s data protection and intellectual property standards apply to each software development company in these countries. On the other hand, Ukraine is not a member of the E.U. but is known for its highly skilled I.T. specialists and low costs.

2. What online collaboration tools are required to work with remote developers?

Unlike traditional remote collaboration tools like Slack and Zoom, distributed development teams require a plethora of additional software. As a result, code management tools, such as GitLab and Bitbucket, are critical to the success of any product.

It Is Up To You: Each Eastern European Country Has Advantages In Terms Of Software Development.

The best way to optimize this hiring process is to create a checklist that will keep you from overlooking critical points.

Typically, decisions regarding software development outsourcing to offshore locations (including Eastern Europe software outsourcing) are based on recommendations or showcases.