Poland is currently one of the most frequently chosen destinations for IT outsourcing by Swiss companies. Why do entrepreneurs decide to invest their money in cooperation with Polish developers? In this article, you will find 5 key reasons why this choice can help your business.
What is nearshore, and why should you consider it?
In short, nearshoring is the idea of outsourcing processes to relatively nearby regions: both geographically and culturally. Compared to other forms of outsourcing, nearshoring focuses on factors such as:
- Less cultural differences
- Better opportunities for live meetings
- Good communication
- Similar time zones
| For more on the differences between nearshore, offshore and software development, read the article: Onshore, Nearshore & Offshore – what is it? |
Swiss companies in Poland
According to official data, in Poland, there are 632 companies in which one of the shareholders is a Swiss company or an individual who is a Swiss citizen. Swiss companies have poured around 17.5 billion PLN into Poland making it the second largest non-EU investor into the country after the USA.
Among the Swiss companies that have decided to open offices in Poland are:
- Franke
- Jura
- Clariant
- Ringier Axel Springer Media
- Roche
- Stadler
- Sulzer Mixpac
- Luxoft
- ABB
Interestingly, the most popular fields here are IT companies.
5 Key Reasons Why Swiss Hire Polish Software Developers
1. Money Savings
The first and most crucial reason Swiss software development companies decide to employ Polish specialists is financial issues. According to data from three sources – Glassdoor, PayScale and SalaryExpert, the national average salary for a Polish Software Developer is around €26,000 per year. It is significantly less than in Switzerland, where the average is around €87,400 per year.
But that’s not the end of the savings. Deciding on nearshoring Polish software developers, you can also save money on:
– recruitment process
– office rentals
– costs of employee benefits
– and much more.
Analyzing all costs, it may turn out that you can hire as many as three or more Poles for the price of one employee in Switzerland.
2. Cultural and geographical proximity
Poles have been willing to go to Switzerland to work for years, and Polish programmers often work in international teams. Their work culture is not very different from the Swiss. What is more, Poland is relatively close, and it is in the same time zone as Switzerland.
No time difference makes it easy to contact Polish employees. In addition, the geographical proximity allows for quick travels and frequent live meetings.
3. Good communication
However, good communication doesn’t mean only cultural and geographic proximity. Another critical issue is the level of English proficiency. Well, how is the knowledge of English among Poles?
So, let’s look at the EF English Proficiency Index. According to this source, Poland ranks 16th in Europe with the highest level of English proficiency. Moreover, according to Wikipedia, 37% of Poles speak English.
It is worth mentioning that this ranking takes into account all Poles. As far as software developers are concerned, their knowledge of English is almost mandatory.
4. Large talent pool
Did you know that there are over 295,000 software developers in Poland? By comparison, according to the same source, there are only 155,700 of them in Switzerland.
What’s interesting, about 22% of Poles aged 24 or above have a university education. As a result, Poland provides around 40,000 software engineering graduates per year, constituting as many as 10% of new IT talents in the whole EU. Moreover, McKinsey predicts that the Polish outsourcing market will increase to 600,000 by 2025.
5. High level of IT skills
Are you wondering if the skills of Polish programmers are at a good enough level? We have good information for you. According to HackerRank, Polish software developers are in 3rd place among the most skilled coders in the world.
Moreover, they are also ranked first in Java programming language skills and other popular technologies such as Python, Ruby, or Shell.
What about Swiss developers? In the same ranking, Switzerland was in 4th place.
IT outsourcing in Poland
Do you feel that nearshoring is something for you? If you are looking for experienced Polish software developers, contact us! As an IT recruitment agency in Poland, we will be happy to help you find the best specialists for your project.