Future of Outsourcing
The advantages of shifting software and application development to Poland remain as strong as they were years ago, and even though there are some future threats, it is forecast that Poland will remain a popular destination for a while yet. In Poland, IT professionals meet the highest European quality standards, but labour costs remain considerably lower than Western Europe and the UK. Also, being in the European Union removes many obstacles of cooperating with Polish IT companies, or opening an office in Poland. Countries such as China, India and the Phillipines also remain as strong outsourcing options, but a key advantage that Poland has over Asian countries is the proximity and ease of communication to offices in Western Europe. Issues such as time zones and differing national holidays become less of a hassle, and communication becomes only a minor issue. Distance is also an important factor since the cost of travel and transportation is significantly decreased in instances when working remotely is not possible, or when travel to the head office is required.
Many European organisations decide to outsource their software development tasks in order to reduce costs and increase overall profit. The advantages of shifting software and application development to Poland remain as strong as they were years ago, and even though there are some future threats, it is forecast that Poland will remain a popular destination for a while yet.
In Poland, IT professionals meet the highest European quality standards, but labour costs remain considerably lower than Western Europe and the UK. Also, being in the European Union removes many obstacles of cooperating with Polish IT companies, or opening an office in Poland.
Countries such as China, India and the Phillipines also remain as strong outsourcing options, but a key advantage that Poland has over Asian countries is the proximity and ease of communication to offices in Western Europe. Issues such as time zones and differing national holidays become less of a hassle, and communication becomes only a minor issue. Distance is also an important factor since the cost of travel and transportation is significantly decreased in instances when working remotely is not possible, or when travel to the head office is required.
Another advantage that Poland has over Asian countries is the higher quality of development. The benefits to do with location mentioned above result in substantial advantages when it comes to maintaining quality control. Also, Polish programmers have strong academic backgrounds and rank rather highly in global ratings. Even some of the best-known technology companies in the world, such as Google, Motorola, and IBM have opened research centers in Poland.
Despite the advantages of outsourcing development to Poland, there are some future threats to the industry that may see Poland as less desirable in comparison to other locations. A key problem is the increasing salary expectations of IT professionals in the market. This constant increase is being driven by the general growth of the economy, but especially by the growth in the IT industry. It is causing an increasing demand for strong talent and placing upward pressure on salary expectations. This increase is causing for other Central and Eastern European locations to gain more attention as outsourcing locations where the costs of labor remain much lower. Also, there is a growing trend for strong IT professionals in Poland to have less desire to work in a BPO location. Individual companies can combat this by making the job more desirable through providing more potential for career improvement and skill development. Increasing contact with the international offices is also a great way to increase the appeal of such a role.
In any case, the combination of low costs and high quality leave Poland as a popular destination for outsourcing development with the trend expecting to continue into the foreseeable future.
| Position | Level of salary | Warsaw PLN gross/monthly | Kraków PLN gross/monthly |
| Software Developer 1-3 years | Low | 5500 | 3500 |
| Medium | 7500 | 5500 | |
| High | 8000 | 6500 | |
| Software Developer 3-5 years | Low | 6500 | 5500 |
| Medium | 9000 | 8500 | |
| High | 11 000 | 10 000 | |
| Software Developer 5-7 years | Low | 9000 | 8000 |
| Medium | 12 000 | 10 000 | |
| High | 15 000 | 12 000 |
If you are interested in finding out more information on the IT/ Telecom market, or would like to obtain further information on recruiting the right mid and senior level staff in these areas please contact.
With over 3 years of IT recruitment experience, I am always interested in speaking with organisations about their current or upcoming resource requirements. Antal International has been established in Poland since 1996 and as a result has grown an extensive network of candidates.
