Developers from Romania: Portrait & Salaries

Romanian Software Development Industry in 2024

During recent years, Romania has emerged as a significant player in the technology outsourcing market within Eastern Europe. With competitive pricing, a highly educated workforce, and a strong emphasis on STEM education, the country has become a favored destination for Western companies looking for high-quality software development services. Leading global tech firms like Oracle, Microsoft, and Intel have established offices in Romania’s major tech hubs, including Bucharest and Timișoara.

In addition to being home to world-known tech giants, Romania is advancing in specialized technology niches, such as Automotive, Artificial Intelligence (AI), and the Internet of Things (IoT). 

Their automotive industry, driven by the presence of major players like Renault and Ford, has fostered a strong ecosystem of local tech companies providing software solutions for autonomous driving, smart vehicle connectivity, and in-car infotainment systems. 

AI development in Romania is also on the rise, with 100 startups and established firms offering machine learning solutions, computer vision technologies, and AI-driven data analytics for industries like FinTech and Healthcare. 

IoT innovation is growing, too, with Romanian software development companies providing end-to-end IoT solutions, including hardware integration, software platforms, and secure connectivity.

Such fast-paced tech development in Romania places the country on the 11th position among worldwide providers of IT export services. And with a stable revenue stream, presently around 20 billion euros annually, Romania continues cementing its role as a reliable outsourcing hub in the Eastern European bloc.

Romanian Software Developer Portrait

Romanian software developers are renowned for their strong technical background, problem-solving abilities, and commitment to delivering high-quality work. These traits make them highly adaptable to various industries and capable of working with the latest technologies.

Below, I’m going to dwell on particular characteristics that best describe the profile of a Romanian developer.

Education and skills

Romania places a significant emphasis on STEM education, taking the 15th position in the global Index of Excellence in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields. Leading Romanian universities, such as the University of Bucharest and the Polytechnic University of Timișoara, are recognized for their rigorous technical programs. According to various industry reports, approximately 70% of developers in Romania hold a Bachelor's degree, while around 25% possess a Master’s in fields related to technology.

Romanian developers also show deep knowledge in a wide array of programming languages and technologies, including Java, JavaScript, Python, .NET, PHP, Angular, React, and Laravel. The growing demand for specialized services has also led many Romanian developers to become proficient in Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Internet of Things, and Blockchain. With such brilliant education and skills, Romanian developers are consistently ranked among top IT professionals not only in Europe but in the world. For example, they take 3rd place in the global rankings of the best software developers, while American specialists only take 5th position. 

Location

Romania’s tech talent is concentrated in its major cities, with Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, and Iași serving as the country’s primary tech hubs. These cities host a variety of global and local tech companies, creating a dynamic environment for developers to grow their expertise. Other cities, such as Timișoara and Brașov, are also emerging as important locations for software development, attracting clients and investment from across the globe.

Gender

While men still dominate technical positions, the gender gap in Romanian IT is gradually narrowing, with women increasingly entering development, project management, and data analysis sectors. According to a 2023 study by Eurostat, the percentage of women in IT was 26%, which is slightly above the global average. Moreover, there are various initiatives aimed at encouraging more women to pursue careers in IT.

English proficiency

Ranked 15th in the EF English Proficiency Index, Romania excels in English language skills, particularly among its younger tech professionals. This high level of English proficiency makes Romanian developers excellent collaborators on international projects. Their ability to communicate effectively with global clients and teams, combined with their technical skills, makes Romania a preferred outsourcing destination for Western companies seeking seamless and productive cooperation. 

Romanian Software Developers’ Salaries in 2024

Romanian software development services offer a competitive cost advantage compared to Western Europe and North America, making Romania a favored outsourcing destination. Below is a breakdown of the average salaries that developers earn in Romania, segmented by industry, technology, and seniority levels.

By industry

According to Salary Explorer, the average salary of an IT specialist in Romania is around 111,120 RON, or approximately $24,000 USD annually. Mobile development is also a strong area for Romanian tech talent. Professionals working in mobile app development earn an average of $32,000 a year and this area continues to grow, particularly within the fields of FinTech and digital services.

By technology

Romanian developers are highly skilled in Java, JavaScript, and Python, with Java and Python being taught in Romanian universities. C# is also widely used, especially in the enterprise software domain. The majority of Romanian mobile app development companies registered on Clutch offer both Android and iOS app development, thus making both Kotlin and Swift in demand among app developers in Romania.

By seniority levels

Junior Romanian software developers typically start with a salary of around $18,000 annually. Mid-level specialists earn between $27,000 and $55,000 per year, while senior developers can command salaries ranging from $45,000 to $80,000, depending on their expertise and the region they’re located in.

Sources: LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Justjoin.it

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Outsourcing Software Development to Romania vs Hiring

When collaborating with software developers from Romania, you can opt for either outsourcing to a Romanian development company or hiring developers directly. Both options offer access to a highly skilled, English-proficient talent pool at competitive rates. However, it’s important to choose the approach wisely, taking into account your business goals and project needs. Let’s consider the peculiarities of both outsourcing and hiring.

Outsourcing: Pros & Cons

Outsourcing software development to Romania means that you have better chances for rapid team scaling. By engaging an outsourcing company, you can bypass the recruitment process, as your development partner provides a ready-made team tailored to your project’s needs. 

However, outsourcing often means having limited control over the development process. You’ll typically coordinate with a project manager and have regular sync-ups, but it doesn’t equate to managing an in-house team where you have more frequent oversight.

Another factor to consider is that outsourced developers usually work on several projects simultaneously, which could potentially delay progress of your product development if high workloads take place.

Hiring Developers in Romania

When you hire developers directly you create a team dedicated to your project, especially if you decide to employ programmers according to the Employment Contract, which allows you to expect total involvement in your project. If you aren’t ready to pay taxes for your software developers in Romania or commit to other legal responsibilities in a foreign country, you can opt for signing a B2B contract that greatly simplifies your cooperation with Romanian employees. 

But even with different options to hire in-house engineers, this process can be time-consuming and expensive. It may take you months to recruit a full team of developers. Additionally, the risk of turnover remains a factor. A hired developer might decide to leave even after completing a probation period, potentially requiring you to restart the hiring process and deal with associated delays and costs.

Fast & quality hiring with Huntly

As an alternative to the methods described above, Huntly offers hiring in Romania from a new perspective. At Huntly, we aim to help employers from all over the world recruit the best IT professionals in a fast, quality, and cost-effective manner. Following an innovative approach to tech recruitment, Huntly combines the advantages of traditional hiring while eliminating its flows. Thus, if you want to experience all the advantages of a dedicated Romanian software development without wasting your time and efforts, feel free to fill in the contact form below, and we’ll find the best solution to your specific case. 

Will Big Tech Hire Romanian Developers in 2025?

According to recent data from Statista, the Romanian software development market is going to flourish in the upcoming years. Here are just some forecast numbers that indicate the growth of IT industry in Romania:

• By 2029, the Romanian software development market is expected to experience a 5.55% CAGR growth;
• By 2029, this steady growth will result in $50 billion market volume.

Even these two numbers are enough to conclude that software development in Romania is going to become an even stronger player on the world’s IT market in the near future.

Huntly — Your Solution for Hiring Exceptional Developers

I have already mentioned that Huntly was created to help companies find and hire top tech talent quickly and efficiently. So how exactly can you benefit if you choose our platform to hire developers from Romania? Here are several distinctive features that allow us to streamline your tech recruitment from the very beginning:

• There are 2,500+ professional IT recruiters registered on our platform, with over 1,000 of them being located in Europe. Such a vast network of seasoned talent acquisition professionals ensures a 10x bigger pipeline of relevant candidates thanks to recruiters’ huge contact bases in numerous IT industries.
• The Huntly team provides you with pre-screened CVs within 72 hours since your vacancy was posted on our platform. Thanks to different time zones our recruiters are located in, they literally work day and night to find candidates who meet your requirements.
• Huntly ensures high quality of candidates passed to our clients for approval. Our two-step verification allows us to pick up the best matching profiles from those uploaded by our global recruitment community. Our inner recruitment team then verifies every CV ‒ our clients invite approximately 4 out of 5 Huntly candidates to the interview stages.

Finally, recruiters on our platform have lots of versatile experience working in different fields and positions. So if you’re looking for DevOps engineers, Full-stack developers, or need to extend your team with a niche professional in technologies like TypeScript or React Native, Huntly is the right place to search!