According to Gartner data, it is predicted that in 2023 IT outsourcing will be the fastest-growing area related to software development. The demand for IT in the new year is expected to remain high due to the continuation of digital business initiatives, despite the challenges in the global economy.
Why is Poland an outstanding country in the context of development in the IT industry? Poland’s location on the map of Europe is not the only reason that makes this country an attractive destination for outsourcing cooperation. Read the article below and find out why it is worth outsourcing IT from Poland.
Why is it worth choosing Poland for IT outsourcing?
Polish ICT sector has found itself among the fastest growing ones in Europe in recent years. Creativity, project experience, soft skills, knowledge of several programming languages, commitment – these are one of the most sought-after features in a new employee from the IT industry. You can recognize all these elements at a high level in a candidate coming from Poland. Read the article below and find out why it is worth outsourcing IT from this particular country.
High work ethic
Poles working in the international arena are known for their dedication and high motivation to practice their profession. They are not afraid of challenges and scrupulously carry out their assigned tasks. The basis of these behaviors can be found in the Polish education system, which prepares for systematic work (e.g. by daily homework) and enhances the ability of emotional separation from feedback (e.g. by frequent testing). As a result, Polish IT specialists are open to direct, constructive criticism – without leaving anyone’s feelings hurt. Additionally, Poles are considered as a punctual nation. Hence, if you arrange a meeting with a Polish IT specialist or set a specific deadline, you can rest assured that it will be done at the fixed time. What’s more, Poland belongs to the same time zone as, for example, France or Germany, and there is only an hour difference between Poland and Great Britain, so business meetings are not a problem. If you are interested in these time differences and other aspects of US comparisons, read our article. What’s more, with today’s technology, offshoring is also a popular option when hiring a Polish IT specialist.
High level of expertise
ⓒRitika Trikha / HackerRank
According to the HackerRank, Polish employees are third in terms of being the best in programming. In the same ranking, Poles took the first place in performing tasks in Java. In Poland, it is also the most widely used coding language alongside Javascript, C# and Python.
Moreover, Polish programmers are among the youngest in the world to start learning coding – the 2018 Developer Skills Report ranked Poland in the 4th place with 7.7% of programmers who start creating their first projects at the age of 5-10.
90% of programmers in Poland have a university degree, and every year around 18,000 people graduate from ICT-related studies. It is worth noticing that many programmers in Poland obtain diplomas in majors not directly related to software and app development. Many programmers graduate from faculties such as physics or mathematics and statistics, thanks to which Polish IT specialists very often have comprehensive knowledge.
Relatively low salary costs
Collaborating with a Polish IT outsourcing company may turn out to be a very good investment for your business. If you want to receive a high-quality service in return for low costs, choosing a Polish programmer seems to be the most sensible solution.
The table above presents data from Glassdoor on December 14, 2022, taking into account the dollar exchange rate from that day. In the case of Poland, the average annual earnings from Payscale are presented here. Regardless of the sources, it can be seen that Polish IT specialists earn on average much less per year than, for example, programmers from the USA, according to data from 2022 – $ 95,439 (Glassdoor).
The salary of Polish programmers varies depending on experience, technology and other specified requirements. If you want to check how much an IT specialist in Poland earns in a specific position, check out our report, that we published in 2023.
In addition to experience and technical skills, a very important issue affecting earnings in Poland is the type of contract. When it comes to Polish programmers, in most cases it is related to the experience of a given IT specialist. We have described the costs incurred by the employer in connection with a specific contract in a separate article.
What is more, according to No Fluff Jobs, in 2021 the highest salaries were offered to programmers specializing in Security, DevOps, Big Data and Business Intelligence. However, still, when analyzing the salary ranges with those from abroad, they are lower compared to other countries.
Multiculturalism
By employing a Polish programmer, you will expand the internationality in your office. Working in a multicultural team teaches a lot about interpersonal relations, but also adds a knowledge value – e.g. the team can get to know some of the Slavic traditions. Moreover, ethnically diverse companies are 35% more likely to generate above-average revenues in their industry.
If you want to check the similarities between the country where your company is based and Poland, it is worth checking out Hofstede Insights. For example, in the case of the USA, it turned out that both countries are similar in terms of values.
English language skills in Poland
When it comes to communication with Polish employees, this should not be a cause for concern. Data from 2022 show that Poland currently ranks 13th out of 111 countries. Moreover, according to available statistics, 90% of Polish programmers know English very well. What’s more, our report shows that 55% of the programmers surveyed use English as their main language at work.
Creative approach
Poland is known as a country that’s historically been through a lot, yet in all cases – by staying united, helping each other and finding non-obvious solutions – the Poles managed to overcome the difficulties. This persistence and creativity are visible in the nation to this day, so you can expect a Polish developer to identify and solve a problem at an early stage, very often using an unusual approach.
This is reflected in modern projects often presented by Polish startups. Therefore, it is also worth looking at the FinTech industry. Solutions and products introduced to the market by Polish banks win valuable awards and recognition all over the world. There are also a lot of successes and products that change people’s lives in the MedTech industry, you can read more about it here.
Are you still not convinced?
It is worth remembering that each Pole is different, so when employing such a person, it is necessary to precisely define who you are looking for and filter the potential candidates. For several years, the IT outsourcing market in Poland has been systematically growing – in 2021, it is expected to reach $2,311.7 million. Poland was also ranked 7th in terms of mature and most attractive locations for BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) in the Cushman & Wakefield ranking. Due to this, cooperating with a Polish IT outsourcing agency will certainly help in finding the right employee.
If you are wondering how to choose the best Polish IT recruitment agency to cooperate with, then in this article you can check the criteria that may be helpful. You can also read more about IT contracting. To sum up, it is worth checking the experience of the IT recruitment agency in Poland, client recommendations and possibilities in the field of cooperation models and guarantee.