How to find polish software developers in 2022 [A Comprehensive Guide]

Poland has more than 400,000 technical specialists, making it the country with the largest talent pool in the CEE region. To develop and support the technical community, the government provides a favorable environment, including labor laws, encouraging foreign investment, and cooperation with overseas customers.

Keep reading to learn more about why it might be a worthwhile investment to hire software developers in Poland in 2022.

What to consider to properly hire software developers in Poland

The Covid-19 pandemic has shown organizations around the world just how essential digital transformation is. Security, remote data access, automation, and big data are areas every business needs to move in to stay on top or ahead of the competition.

When you hire Polish engineers, you get a reliable software development partner. They can guide you through the entire product development cycle - from creating IT strategy and software development to reliable product support and related services.

IT companies in Poland can hardly be called mere outsourcing software service providers. They have expertise in various industries, such as fintech, e-commerce, and the gaming industry; they have the know-how and a vast pool of well-qualified professionals.

The high proficiency of Polish technicians and relatively low prices for their services put them beyond competition, making Poland a major outsourcing destination.

If you are considering hiring Polish developers or a team, but still don't know where to start, we can help you. In this article, we will cover everything you need to know to get the right people hired correctly and profitably.

IT market overview before you hire engineers in Poland

Poland takes the lead in the European IT market thanks to its IT companies. There are about 50,000 software companies in the country, 1,400 of which provide IT, R&D, BPO, and SSC/GBS services.

Poland is seen as a country with a tech-savvy society:

• 1st country in CEE (13th in the world) in terms of smartphone penetration;
• The cheapest mobile rates in CEE (USD 0,7 per 1 GB);
• 90% of card payments in Poland are contactless;
• The IT industry in Poland is growing rapidly, with market size of $8.2 billion in 2022;
• The IT market accounts for 8% of Polish GDP;
• ICT services exports from Poland have doubled since 2016, reaching $8.6 billion in 2020.

Countries such as Poland, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine have consistently ranked high in digital technology and IT outsourcing. In the IT competitiveness index, Poland ranks second with a score of 60.88.

Poland is also one of the top performers in IT outsourcing, followed by Romania and the Czech Republic in general IT services:

When looking for an outsourcing software development company to hire, global buyers give preference to Poland, as well as Ukraine and Romania:

When it comes to digital and IT talent and skills, Poland ranks among the top three according to global buyers surveyed in the Index:

Over the past few years, the information and communications technology (ICT) market in Poland has grown to $19.3 billion (2020).

At the same time, the software industry in Poland is estimated at 8.8 billion euros, and in 2022 it is 7th among European countries.

The potential of the software and IT sector is enormous, growing and globally recognized. All this means that you can successfully hire software developers in Poland.

Resilient economy

Over the past few years, Poland has managed to build a stable and solid economy. That is why clients prefer Poland when deciding where to hire programmers.

Poland's economy tripled in the early 2000s and then suffered from the global financial crisis. After years of fluctuations, Poland's GDP reached about $597.19 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach about $954.58 billion by 2026.

Various factors contribute to the vigorous hiring of Polish engineers:

• Poland ranks 44th in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI);
• It is ranked 5th among EEMENA countries in the GTCI;
• Poland ranked among the fastest-growing economies in the European Union (EU) before the coronavirus outbreak hit the global economy;
• Poland is 12th on Bloomberg's list of the world's most attractive emerging markets;
• 40th in the Ease of Doing Business rankings.

Solid STEM education

What sets Poland apart from other countries of interest in terms of hiring software developers is the thorough technical education provided by local universities.

In a study by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Poland ranked 5th in Europe and 11th in the world for the quality of its education system. STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) is a focus area at Polish universities.

This chart clearly shows how many people have chosen IT as their main focus of education from the outset.

There are 40 state universities and 20 state technological institutes in Poland. The most notable of them are the Warsaw University of Technology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Jagiellonian University in Krakow, and the University of Gdańsk. The high standards of education are confirmed by the fact that 19 Polish universities are included in the QS World University Ranking 2022.

Poland has seen an increase in the number of ICT specialists. As a result, Polish companies and their foreign partners reap the benefits of the vast number of experienced and qualified engineers available for hire.

These skilled experts keep up with the latest trends, use cutting-edge technology, and are open to innovation.

Reasons you should hire developers in Poland

There are quite convincing reasons for hiring Polish developers compared to those from other, so-called, coding countries. Let's see what advantages foreign customers get from cooperation with Polish coders.

Favorable geographical location

Nestled between Western and Eastern Europe, Poland is just a few hours' flight away from key European business centers such as London, Frankfurt, Berlin or Stockholm.

Business-friendly time zones

As Poland is in the heart of Europe, it is easy for clients of Polish companies to adjust to the schedule of the local team. If you are from Western Europe, all work tasks can be done within the same day. If you are from the US, the time difference with Poland is 6-9 hours, which means that you may coordinate work calls with developers in advance.

EU member

Poland has been a member of the European Union for almost 20 years. This fact indicates a stable financial relationship between Poland and other European countries, a flexible system of internal regulation, and other qualities inherent in progressive European countries.

Proven tech expertise of developers you can hire

The Polish developers are known for their mastery of the world's most sought-after programming languages. You can count on finding qualified developers in Poland who are proficient in Java, JavaScript, Python and TypeScript.

Areas widely covered by local techs:

• Web development (back-end technology stack, including Node.js/PHP);
• Mobile development with an emphasis on Kotlin and Swift;
• Working with niche systems, including customer relationship management tools (CRMS) or software-as-a-service (SaaS) applications;
• Full-stack development, including all of the above categories combined.

The chart below shows the most popular programming languages among developers in Poland.

All of the above allows Polish specialists to offer much more than just software development. You can hire engineers, technical consultants, big data specialists, and business analysts here as well.

Favorable tax environment

There are special economic zones in Poland, which means favorable tax treatment for foreign companies and investors.

High English language proficiency

The language barrier is often underestimated. And yet the quality of communication between teams of partners determines their mutual understanding and, consequently, the effectiveness of their work. The solution to the problem of the communication gap is a good command of English as a cross-border language.

The good news is that the Polish developers you are going to hire meet all the requirements when it comes to English. More than 14 million Poles speak English. Moreover, according to the EF Education First English Proficiency Index, Polish developers are among the top twenty.

The high level of English proficiency among Poles is quite obvious. Pupils in Poland study English from the first grade, and later there is an opportunity to improve their skills in extracurricular activities and courses.

Customers who hire Polish outsourced engineers get significant benefits:

• Easy to understand each other;
• Fewer errors due to reduced risk of misunderstandings;
• Faster resolution of work issues;
• Increased productivity;
• Faster results.

And another good reason to hire technicians from Poland is the cost of their services. Just take a look at the data below. They might come in handy for you.

IT hubs in Poland, where you can effectively hire Polish engineers

More than 85% of all IT professionals in Poland are concentrated in five major cities, namely Kraków, Warsaw, Wroclaw, Lodz and Poznan. Here are their peculiarities compared to other Polish cities:

• More subject matter technical experts;
• Reputable technical universities;
• Better value for money;
• Favorable tax and business environment;
• Advanced IT and urban infrastructure.

Let's go over the cities in Poland that are worth looking at in terms of hiring engineers.

Krakow

Krakow is considered the cultural and historical heart of Poland, as well as home to more than 50,000 technical specialists. In addition, Krakow can safely be called the startup hub (more than 200 organizations), as well as the R&D center of Poland. It is Krakow that is chosen by foreign investors and well-known organizations such as Motorola, CISCO, UBS, etc. as a profitable investment destination.

Warsaw

It is a "two-in-one" city - the capital and the main business center of Poland with comfortable conditions for both business and living. Warsaw is home to the largest number of IT specialists compared to other Polish cities - more than 80,000, as well as BPO, SSC/GBS, IT, and R&D centers.

Wroclaw

More than 100 IT and R&D centers are headquartered in Wroclaw, mostly involved in industries such as fintech, IoT, big data, and artificial intelligence. The city has an established technology ecosystem and business infrastructure for proper business development.

Lodz

Lodz is often chosen because of the relatively low salary expectations of developers and the low standard of living compared to other Polish cities.

Poznan

What makes Poznan especially noteworthy in terms of cooperation with local software development teams is its advantageous geographical location. Poznan is situated between Berlin and Warsaw. More than 22,000 programmers work here, and according to Forbes, Poznan is the second most attractive city for business in Poland.

Hiring in Poland: options to hire a software development team

When you decide to outsource IT services, there are several options for hiring the right team. Let's go through them.

Working with self-employed recruiters to hire developers

One of the ways foreign clients go is by working with recruiters who are engaged in the Polish labor market. This is what such a collaboration might look like:

• You gather all your requirements for a candidate or team in one document;
• Find the right recruiter for the job;
• Wait for them while they go through the entire list of suitable candidates and offer you the best talent;
• Conduct thorough interviews.

At first glance, hiring developers in this way does not look complicated. However, it often turns out to be a labor-intensive and expensive process. In addition, all the hassle of communicating with candidates falls on your shoulders.

Hiring a programmer in Poland on your own

Another way to hire developers in Poland is to independently search for software engineers on LinkedIn or other specialized web resources. Keep in mind that instead of growing your business and making money, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort selecting candidates and testing their skills, which in the end will not necessarily lead to a successful outcome. You can only make the right choice of a technician if you are tech-savvy or appropriately skilled.

Hiring an IT company in Poland

It is to hire a whole team of programmers with all the necessary skills and experience while working remotely.

In this case, too much effort is not required. First, decide on a software development team in Poland, provide them with your requirements and project or task description, and coordinate a third-party recruiter. This is the person responsible for the search, selection, and initial interview of candidates. Only those technicians who have successfully passed the initial screening by recruiters and internal technical leaders will get to the final interview with you.

In addition, a remote development team in Poland may be coordinated by their internal project manager, which lowers the workload of your team. Conversely, you can take over the supervision of this team, managing both its workload and performance.

If all of the above works for you, we invite you to consider hiring developers within the DDI development team.

Hire software developers in Poland with DDI Development

DDI Development is a Polish software development company with R&D centers in Poland and Ukraine. Over nearly 15 years in the IT industry, we have built a strong team of tech-savvy people who strive not only to contribute to technology but also to make the world a better place. During this time, we have gained invaluable experience in fintech, e-commerce, e-learning, and other industries, providing sophisticated, scalable, and, most importantly, effective systems and products to customers around the world.

What sets our company apart is the leeway in solving challenging technological and business problems, and the willingness to grasp a client's idea and work on a project until it passes rigorous quality and performance tests. We can work in a variety of collaborative models, including dedicated teams, staff augmentation, or project-based models.

All matters relating to hiring, working methods, and pay are discussed, making the collaboration personalized, clear and predictable. Chances are that your partnership with Polish engineers might turn out to be 2-3 times more profitable compared to their counterparts in the U.S. or Western Europe.

How to hire Polish software developers

When planning to hire Polish developers in 2022, make sure your expectations are transparent and justified. To do this, you need to clearly state your requirements, both functional and non-functional, which helps you attract only the most suitable specialists. The same goes for salary. To avoid overpaying, set a salary range for developers that fits within your budget, for example.

Steps to take to hire Polish developers

Let's take a look at some points, focusing on which you can more easily and successfully hire developers in Poland.

Job description. Start with the job description. It should contain as many details as possible about the job, the project, and the team. Specify how the company works, what the team structure is, what the position involves, what the project management approach is (Agile or another management method), how many working hours per week, etc.

Hard skills specified. Applicants should understand what is expected of them and whether they can handle the tasks assigned to them. To do this, make a list of technical skills and other requirements for developers. This can be experience, knowledge, metrics, hard skills, proficiency in niche languages, etc.

Objectives and Goals. Be clear from the beginning. Describe the tasks and goals of the company, the responsibilities of the specialist, and how they may change as the job progresses. This is of particular importance if you expect to work under the Staff augmentation or similar model.

Salary range. Salary is usually the first thing people pay attention to, so try to be as specific as possible. Specify both the salary range and possible benefits, bonuses, and other accruals that the engineer hired in Poland can count on.

Probationary period. If you are going to put developers you hire in Poland on probation, candidates should be warned about this.

In-depth interviews to screen the best talent. Haste and a one-size-fits-all approach to selecting specialists will not help. You need to take into account the difference in cultures and mentalities, know the standard of living in the city where you hire developers, and consider the time difference and work approach.

And a few more tips before hiring engineers in Poland:

• Ask open-ended questions. This way you can better understand the candidates' skills and experience, their professional qualities, their interest in the project, and whether you are a good fit for each other.
• Empower candidates to answer your questions in a way that is comfortable for them, encouraging initiative and curiosity, which is very valuable for professionals.
• Find out what candidates' long-term goals and career plans are, so you can match their expectations with your plans.

Key points before hiring polish engineers

The Polish developers you hire will work remotely with your team or on your project. Even though remote work is becoming the norm around the world, people still need to have their communication needs met. It's worth paying more attention to regular online meetings with team members and establishing reliable communication between them.

When hiring Polish developers, you should know that not only do you choose the specialists, but they also decide whether they want to do business with you. You probably know that in Israel, for example, it is customary for a job seeker to ask the employer what they can offer the candidate and what the employer is so valuable about. When it comes to hiring and collaboration, both the person hired and the employer are interviewed.

This is what developers in Poland prioritize when deciding whether to cooperate with a customer:

• Wage level: 82%
• Work flexibility (working hours, remote work, etc.): 64%
• Working atmosphere: 52%
• Interesting projects: 50%
• Self-improvement: 48%
• Career advancement: 47%
• Access to specific technologies: 24%
• Salary transparency: 19%
• Company values and culture: 18%

It is clear that the priorities of specialists are gradually shifting towards values and people. If previously the first place was a salary, today, when the IT sector in Poland is undergoing serious changes, along with money, engineers also value the opportunity for professional development and the community.

Things of great importance to Polish engineers when it comes to their job:

• Money: 26%
• People: 25%
• Development/Growth: 24%
• Peaceful work: 10%
• Possibility of remote work: 6.2%
• Stable work: 5.2%
• Work-life balance: 4%

It is also worth bearing in mind that the level of motivation of outsourced specialists can be different. Here's what Polish developers cite as factors motivating them to develop in their vocation, according to the "Polish IT Community Report, 2022”:

• Willingness to grow and self-improve, regardless of where you work: 68%
• The changing labor market, the need to keep up with the latest developments: 15%
• Current project: 14%

Bottom line

As you can see, there are plenty of reasons to attract highly qualified Polish engineers to your team or project. Poland is the right IT destination to look at. Poland has a strong IT market and a healthy economy, the country is a member of the EU and provides favorable conditions for foreign business investment in cities. At the same time, Polish developers' salaries still allow them to lead in the competition with their counterparts from other countries. When employing developers from Poland, you get access to a large pool of technical specialists whose competencies and experience are recognized worldwide and proven by dozens of successful world-class projects.

At DDI Development, we can help you find and select only those experts who fit your needs, culture, budget and goals. Tell us who you want to hire, and we'll do our best to get the job done.