By MOTIFE Insights, 26 September 2024
Many prospective employers face this challenge, where using outdated salary information can hinder their hiring plans. Whether you're looking at hiring a single specialist or building a full development team, this article provides insights into up-to-date IT salaries in Poland. Read on, and gain knowledge to make informed hiring decisions.
Check out also: Krakow IT Market Report 2024
Poland is becoming a top choice for businesses wanting to grow their IT teams. First, Poland's schools focus a lot on IT and engineering, producing many skilled tech professionals each year. Plus, Poland's central spot in Europe makes it a great place for tech innovations and young tech companies.
Looking at costs, hiring in Poland can be more budget-friendly compared to many Western European countries. Let's break down the numbers. If you hire a typical engineer in Poland with a permanent employment contract, you would pay them about 18 000 PLN or 4 150 EUR a month. Add in the extra costs that employers pay, like social security, and the yearly total cost of employment comes to around 260 000 PLN or 60 000 EUR.
There is a group of engineers who prefer business-to-business (B2B) contracts. About 30%-40% of engineers go this route. For these contracts, the yearly cost is between 50 000 to 60 000 EUR. This doesn’t include social security costs because, with B2B contracts, the engineer handles those costs themselves.
While there are multiple compensation reports and platforms, such as Glassdoor and Payscale, that provide salary insights for the IT sector in Poland, their data often represents the current average salaries or median salaries as advertised on job portals. Moreover, a majority of IT job ads transparently present salary brackets.
However, it's essential to approach this information with caution. The figures on these platforms might not truly represent the expectations of potential new hires or the final salaries settled upon in employment or B2B contracts. This can lead to significant discrepancies between the reported figures and the actual salary expectations of candidates.
In the Krakow IT Market Report 2024 MOTIFE explores the details of new hires' salaries within the IT industry in Poland. The analysis considers the most frequently used programming languages, different profiles, and the various seniority levels.
For software engineers, particularly those with a regular experience level of 3-5 years, the median salary on a permanent employment contract stands at 18 000 PLN (~ 4 150 EUR) gross per month. This figure provides a general benchmark, but for a more detailed breakdown of gross salaries specific to different engineering profiles in Poland, refer to the graph below that comes from the Krakow IT Market Report.
In the Krakow IT Market Report 2024, we offer an in-depth analysis of salaries per most popular languages and per most popular technical non-technical roles.
Download the free Krakow IT Market Report 2024 for all data points.
As the agile methodology continues to dominate the tech landscape, building a cohesive and efficient Scrum team becomes a priority for many organizations. Understanding the cost dynamics of such a team is crucial for budgeting and strategic planning.
In this section, we break down the average salaries for individual Scrum team roles, providing clarity on compensation expectations. Moreover, we offer a sample calculation for a standard seven-member Scrum team, empowering you with a comprehensive view of potential costs.
Software Engineer
Regular (3-5 years): 14 500 – 21 000 PLN
Senior (5+ years): 21 000 – 28 500 PLN
Product Owner
Regular (3-5 years): 12 000 – 17 000 PLN
Senior (5+ years): 17 000 – 23 000 PLN
Scrum Master
Regular (3-5 years): 13 000 – 17 000 PLN
Senior (5+ years): 17 000 – 25 000 PLN
A medium total salaries of a scrum team consisting of a Product Owner, a Scrum Master, 2 senior Software Engineers, and 3 regular Software Engineers in PLN and EUR:
132 000 PLN monthly / 1 60 000 PLN a year
31 000 EUR monthly / 370 000 EUR a year
Check out also: Krakow IT Market Report 2024
In Poland's dynamic IT market, a competitive salary alone no longer suffices to attract top talent. Companies, in recognizing this, are diversifying their Employee Value Proposition (EVP) to encompass a more holistic approach to talent attraction and retention.
According to data, 90% of businesses in the country aim to offer more than just a competitive paycheck. Below are the influential factors and elements that serve as complementary to IT salaries in Poland, enhancing the overall attractiveness of an employment offer.
Company brand and reputation. Well-established and renowned companies have the leverage to offer salaries at the lower end of the spectrum. Conversely, newer or less visible brands may need to compensate by offering salaries on the higher end to attract talent.
Benefits package. A well-rounded benefits package can significantly elevate an employment offer's allure. Examples of such benefits include stock options or ESOPs, generously paid holidays, provisions for paid sick leave (even for B2B contractors), and opportunities for international trips, especially visits to global headquarters.
Work model flexibility. Recognizing the varied work preferences of the modern professional is key. Offering options ranging from fully remote setups, hybrid models, and work-from-anywhere initiatives, to completely flexible schedules can make a company more appealing to a wider range of candidates.
Contractual flexibility. Providing choices in the type of employment contract, whether permanent or B2B, and even the preferred currency for payment, adds another layer of customization that prospective employees might find attractive.
Technology and tools. Ensuring that employees have access to the latest technology and tools is important. A neat codebase, a proactive approach to avoid technical debt, and rigorous quality assurance practices can make a firm stand out. These not only foster efficiency but also enhance job satisfaction for those keen on best practices.
Organizational culture. A company's ethos, its principles, and the values it promotes play a profound role in talent attraction and retention. Aspects such as ensuring equal treatment, a transparent hierarchy, decision-making autonomy for teams, and a genuine commitment to openness and transparency can set a company apart in the eyes of potential employees.
By integrating these elements into their EVP, companies can position themselves as employers of choice in Poland, transcending mere salary offerings and providing a comprehensive and fulfilling employment experience.
Check out also: MOTIFE nearshoring advisory services
Navigating the professional landscape of any country requires a deep understanding of its work culture. In the Polish IT sector, certain distinctive attributes define the way professionals engage, communicate, and prioritize.
In terms of working hours Polish work culture greatly values punctuality and commitment. Generally, the standard working week aligns with the European norm, clocking in at 40 hours spread over five days. Overtime is not uncommon, especially during project crunch times, but it's typically compensated.
When it comes to time off, Polish employees value their vacation time, and it's customary for workers to take extended breaks, especially during the summer months and Christmas. Apart from the statutory 20-26 days of annual leave, there are several public holidays, and employers usually respect them by ensuring that work doesn't overlap with these breaks.
The Polish IT sector values teamwork a lot. Most companies use teams from different areas, apply agile methods, and often hold team-building events. Collaboration is important for coming up with new ideas and solving problems. Sharing knowledge, listening to feedback, and working together to achieve goals are common practices in this sector.
Polish IT specialists are notably proficient in English, a result of both the country's strong educational emphasis on the language and its pivotal role in the tech industry. This proficiency doesn't just translate to technical discussions; many professionals are comfortable navigating day-to-day interactions, meetings, and even detailed project debates in English. Additionally, thanks to Poland's strategic position in Europe and its growing startup ecosystem, these experts are increasingly familiar with a multicultural environment.
Polish IT professionals keep the balance between being direct and maintaining a professional manner. Honesty is greatly valued, so if there's a problem or challenge, it’s usually addressed straightforwardly. However, this directness is always tempered with respect, ensuring that the communication remains constructive. Moreover, while formal at first, as relationships develop, a more relaxed and warm tone often emerges.
Learn more about what international companies have achieved with their Krakow tech labs by downloading our Krakow IT Market Report 2024
If you are interested in setting up your own engineering hub in Poland, contact us at MOTIFE to learn more.
If you are looking for interesting job opportunities in tech companies in Poland, check out open roles at motife.com/jobs.
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