Why we love Romanian devs

By TRISOFT team

Romania, this small, picturesque European country, not rarely challenged by the pressures and obsessions of a much-desired better world. Living here all our lives turned out to be a challenge in itself. And so it is for most of our friends and acquaintances, no matter their field of work.

And since we’ve mentioned work, now it’s a good time to say that finding good work in Romania has been for the past 30 years or so a tad difficult and frustrating. This is one of the reasons many young people choose to emigrate and find work in countries that are more stable — socially and politically.

There is one domain however, that has survived the challenges so far and that is the IT field. Could it be because we have so many talented, inspired, hard-working IT people in Romania? Possibly. Because there are so many foreign companies that appreciate our IT workforce, that there is even room for more specialists as the years go by.

Competition is fierce, as it is with many other domains, but here are some important, for sure facts: Romania is the 1st country in Europe for the number of IT specialists and the 3rd country in Europe for outsourcing, for an average cost of 20 dollar/hour. For many, this translates into an ideal software development location with highly competent and friendly workforce and a cost-effective business environment.

What does Romania have that makes it so special?

In recent decades, the IT sector has been Romania’s wonder-child, maintaining steady growth supported largely by outsourcing companies.

Cost effectiveness is replacing the low cost as the chief concern for those looking to outsource IT services — and Romania is one to take advantage from this. According to the International Data Corporation, Romania doesn’t offer the lowest prices in the outsourcing business, but instead it is highly competitive when you take into account the level of technical proficiency and soft skills in the country, superior to what is typically found in other outsourcing locations.

What are the challenges?

The growth of outsourcing has brought to light more and more freelancers who are willing to work day in — day out in order to have their incomes grow as well. The truth is that incomes have substantially grown in Romania thanks to foreign clients and investors, who have realized that Romanian devs are not only talented, but also serious about their work.

Today, Romania ranks second in Europe by the number of IT freelancers, UK being the first. But in terms of payment, it comes fourth, after UK, Russia and Ukraine.

What is out there?

The years to come are expected to bring yet additional growth in the outsourcing business, which means Romania will need even more IT professionals. At this point, the qualified IT professionals are not enough to satisfy the demand on the market, so there is enough room for more.

In terms of payment, last year, a third of the IT companies in Romania paid their developers salaries ranging from €1,000 to €1,500 per month, more than three times the average salary in the country. Another 10 percent of the IT companies are offering developers a monthly salary ranging between €1,500 to €2,000. There is a difference between salaries in Bucharest and the rest of the country — Bucharest wages being 40% higher for the same job done by people with the same studies.

However, politicians promise to support the IT industry and to come up with ways to help it expand. Their measures so far include a 100 percent exemption on income tax for IT employees, a 50 percent tax deduction for R&D-related operations costs, public financing for development of IT innovation parks, as well as state aid for regional development, job creation, and investment support for the development of new technologies.

Romania’s fiercest competitors when it comes to attracting offshore/nearshore activities are Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria and Poland, the latest IDC survey of the local IT companies has revealed.

A flourishing technology hub

Romania is a European Union state member with a big academic talent pool of educated and experienced IT workforce. The geographical and cultural proximity to Western Europe has made it a fast growing market for IT outsourcing services, with an annual growth rate of the outsourcing sector between 15 and 20%. Romania is a flourishing technology hub, with about 100,000 people in various IT-oriented profiles. Featuring an ideal price-quality ratio, Romania stands out for the proficiency of the labor force in terms of multilingual, technical and soft skills.

As for us, TRISOFT, we love Romanian devs because they are not only well-prepared in the IT field, but also multilingual, motivated, enthusiastic and hard working. And let’s not forget their good humor — a crucial part of Romania’s unique appeal.