The IT services market has increased recently, driven by new trends, customer preferences, and macroeconomic factors. However, as stated in our latest hiring and team management challenges report, only 11.1% of tech companies close all open tech jobs by 100%. Therefore, many businesses consider remote hiring to access specialized talent, fill all tech vacancies, drive innovation, and save costs. Qubit Labs found that 77.4% of IT companies hire talent in Eastern Europe, and Romania is one of the best locations.
Romanian IT companies have established themselves internationally by delivering cutting-edge solutions and demonstrating proficiency in project management. “Romania has a strong talent pool with over 202,000 IT specialists and over 8,000 IT companies. This country has a well-developed IT infrastructure with major companies like Oracle, Bitdefender, Adobe, Microsoft Romania, and Playtika. They provide mentorship programs and internships, and as a result, they prepare strong candidates,” says Olha Bereza, Technical Recruiter at Qubit Labs.
Aside from being a cost-effective location with a vast pool of highly professional specialists, Romania boasts a flexible and open economy, making it a top country for various business operations. In fact, Romania’s economy is the 51st most free in the 2024 Index of Economic Freedom, with a score of 64.4. Thus, Romania is an excellent place for outsourcing software development. However, companies have certain stereotypes considering the local workforce and know little about the peculiarities of the hiring process in Romania and the salary expectations of Romanian software developers. Qubit Labs will share its insights on the Romanian IT market in this article. Also, Olha Bereza, a Technical Recruiter at Qubit Labs, will explain how you can effectively hire software developers in Romania.
Romanian IT Sector
Romania’s digital economy may be valued at €52 billion by 2030, or about 10 percent of the country’s GDP. The IT landscape is vibrant and dynamic. Here are the main characteristics of the IT industry.
- Romania is #1 in Europe in terms of the number of certified IT specialists. How many software engineers are there in Romania? Qubit Labs’ comprehensive report, “Outsourcing to Latin America vs Eastern Europe,” states that there are 202,000+ skilled professionals in Romania.
- According to Qubit Labs’ experience, cybersecurity, automotive, embedded systems, driver assistance systems, infotainment solutions, telecommunication, 5G technologies, e-commerce, fintech, AI, and machine learning are the most popular tech sectors.
- Romania promotes inclusion and diversity. In Romania, women make up about 26% of the IT workforce. This figure is considerably higher than the European Union average, where men dominate the field. “This success is partly due to initiatives by educational institutions and some IT companies. For example, the “Girls Who Code” program at the University of Bucharest offers different workshops specifically for women. Also, companies like Microsoft Romania and Bitdefender provide mentorship programs and scholarships to encourage women in Tech,” says Olha Bereza, Technical Recruiter at Qubit Labs
- The most common tech stacks are Python, .NET, Java, JavaScript, and its frameworks and libraries, such as React.js, Angular, and Vue.js.
- “When Western companies look for top tech talent in Romania, they often focus on software developers, of course, especially those with skills in Java, JavaScript, and its frameworks like React.js, Angular.js, Vue.js, Python, and some PHP frameworks like Magento, Symfony, and Laravel. Data scientists and AI specialists are also in high demand because of the big push toward data-driven decision-making. Also, the need for specialists in the automotive and Internet of Things (IoT) sectors as well as game designers and developers in the gaming industry is increasing,” states Olha Bereza.
Romania’s Employment Conditions
Labor laws in Romania guarantee equal pay to all workers and prioritize employees’ well-being. Here are the significant highlights of Romania’s employment conditions:
- According to the Romanian labor code, Romanian employees work eight hours a day, five days a week, for a maximum of forty hours.
- For common positions in Romania, the probationary term is 90 calendar days, while for management positions, it is 120 calendar days.
- The minimum wage is RON3,700.00 or $811,90 per month. Salary is paid monthly, often at the end of the month.
- Paid vacation leave is 20 days per year.
- There are 15 paid public holidays in Romania.
- Various benefits improve employees’ satisfaction and increase retention rate.
- “In Romania, software developers typically receive a range of social benefits depending on the type of employment contract. Those with a standard employment contract often get private health insurance, paid training, workshops, webinars, paid certification, holiday cultural vouchers, and other extra benefits that attract top specialists. At the same time, people who work on a B2B contract don’t receive these benefits. Instead, they have a total salary amount that covers all their expenses. So, while the gross salaries might appear higher when you are communicating with a B2B contractor, you can expect that those contractors will not receive all those benefits mentioned previously,” says Olha Bereza.
Learn more about the technology landscape in Romania, the pros of hiring Romanian offshore developers, technologies they excel in, the peculiarities of a hiring process in Romania, and exclusive Qubit Labs’ tips in this informative video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahDExcreoLM
IT Market in Different Cities Across
Romania is one of the most popular destinations for IT outsourcing, and the main clients are the US, Western Europe, and Israel. Romania has various IT hubs that promote innovation and contribute to a well-educated workforce.
Bucharest
Bucharest, a.k.a the Romanian Silicon Valley, accounts for 63% of the country’s total income. This city is home to two leading universities, the Politehnica University of Bucharest and the University of Bucharest, which graduate skilled developers that expand the local IT workforce. The capital of Romania fosters an innovative environment for startups and great opportunities for established enterprises in various industries, including e-commerce, fintech, and healthcare. The average software engineer’s salary is $2,414.
Cluj-Napoca
This city is another tech center in Romania, hosting 207 software development companies. ClujStartups is the most significant initiative to support a startup ecosystem and boost companies’ visibility within its community, consisting of 3,000 members.
“The founders and CEOs of some of the biggest and most successful companies from Cluj chose to remain here and have a desire to give back to the community. There is an entire infrastructure of resources to help guide and show the next generation the benefits of starting their own thing,” says Manuela Țicudean, CPO and co-founder at Cyscale. The average software salary for a software engineer is $1,986 per month.
Iași
This significant digital hub hosts the headquarters of reputable companies such as Amazon, Adobe, Apple, and Google. It fosters a great community culture, supports startups, and provides various universities specializing in Science, Engineering, and IT. The average software engineer’s salary is $1,618 monthly.
Why Hire Software Developers in Romania?
Businesses choose Romanian software development specialists for the following reasons.
Big Development Pool
Over 202,000 tech experts in Romania are well-versed in Java, JavaScript and its frameworks, Python, PHP, C#, React, and HTML.
High Level of Education
Romania has 32 technical universities offering courses in engineering, data science, cybersecurity, software development, and related disciplines. Politehnica University of Bucharest, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, and the University of Bucharest are among the top 1,000 best universities in the world. This country also has 10,000 ICT graduates.
Similar Work Culture with Western Developers
Romania is just two to four hours away by plane from Italy, France, Spain, and the rest of Western and Northern Europe. Romanian professionals swiftly assimilate Western ideals, behavioral norms, and work ethics. Also, most IT companies have extensive experience working with US and Western European companies.
Good English Proficiency
Romania is ranked #15 out of 113 countries regarding English proficiency. “Sometimes Romanian developers are pretty proficient in other European languages, such as Italian, Spanish, French, or German,” shares Olha Bereza.
Time Zone Compatibility
Romania operates in the GMT+3 time zone, making it an ideal match for coordinating with European development teams. Olha Bereza says, “I believe it’s ideal for the West European companies as well as North America because Romanian developers are experienced in adapting to the North American time zone, thankfully to Romanian IT outsourcing companies serving predominantly the US market.” Also, according to Qubit Labs’ technical recruiter, Romanian developers prefer to work remotely, and they can start their working day early to sync with international clients, for instance, from Australia. Alternatively, they can work late to match their productivity picks, meet deadlines, or collaborate with US companies.
Diverse Tech Skills
Romanian software engineers demonstrate impeccable knowledge of the most popular technologies, such as Python, Java, JavaScript, PHP, C#, Angular, React, and HTML. Also, they excel in various industries, such as e-commerce, fintech, Artificial Intelligence, ML, automotive, cloud technologies, and cybersecurity.
Attractive Romanian Government Tax Incentives
How much tax do software developers pay in Romania? The personal income tax is 10%. However, if the gross monthly compensation of software development professionals employed by Romanian IT businesses does not surpass 10,000 Lei or $2195, they may be excluded from personal income tax (10%). Also, companies that only do R&D and innovation-related activities are not subject to corporate income tax (16%) for ten years. Learn more about tax rates in Europe in this article.
Competitive Salaries
“Romania offers lower salary expectations compared to the USA, Australia, and Western Europe, but at the same time, Romanian developers are highly proficient in English,” says Olha Bereza. Also, despite affordable rates, the quality of their work remains high. Qubit Labs conducted comprehensive research on the average software developer salaries.
Challenges While Working with Romanian Developers
Here are some downsides you should know if you hire developers in Romania.
A Dispersed Talent Pool
Over 25% of developers are spread out across the country. It can be daunting if you want to focus on one area or find specialists with rare tech stacks. Besides, filling a position can take some time. “Filling a position in Romania can take a few weeks to several months, depending on the role’s complexity and specific skills required. For example, finding a JavaScript developer with React.js or Angular skills is generally quicker because there is a large pool of professionals with experience with this library and framework. In contrast, hiring a developer with expertise in newer technologies or frameworks like Swell.js, Elixir, and its framework Phoenix is much more challenging and time-consuming. It’s because fewer candidates have experience and are pretty skilled in these technologies,” says Olha Bereza.
Also, Olha emphasizes that “The competitive job market makes the attraction and retaining of the top specialist more difficult, especially true for AI Specialists and data science talents who are in high demand worldwide.”
Cultural Differences
“Another challenge in the hiring process is ensuring a good cultural fit. Therefore, companies often conduct several interview rounds to assess technical proficiency and cultural compatibility, which can prolong the decision-making process,” says Olha Bereza.
Employment Type
According to Olha Bereza’s vast experience, the hiring process may take longer due to a notice period, which heavily depends on the role. “In Romania, it heavily depends on your preferred employment type. For example, for specialists with an employment contract, the notice period can range from 20 working days to 45 working days, depending on the role. C-level specialists have longer notice periods than regular developers or non-technical specialists. For those on B2B contracts, a notice period is usually defined in the contract and can range from 30 to 60 days, which adds another layer to consider when making plans for hiring,” says Olha.
Romanian Developer Salaries
“Romanian developers generally earn more than those in Ukraine, Georgia, or Bulgaria. Recently, the pay for front-end and back-end developers in Romania has become comparable with those we can find in Poland,” says Olha Bereza.
What is the hourly rate of a developer in Romania? Software developers in Romania charge $25-$99 per hour. The average annual salary for a software developer in Romania is $50,400. The wage differs according to experience and technology.
| Role Title | Junior Developer | Middle Developer | Senior Developer |
| Python | $25,200 | $51,600 | $72,000 |
| Java | $24,000 | $52,800 | $73,300 |
| JavaScript | $23,000 | $47,000 | $70,000 |
| .NET | $21,600 | $45,600 | $81,600 |
| Angular | $22,800 | $46,800 | $67,200 |
| PHP | $24,000 | $50,400 | $72,000 |
As we can see, junior Python developers have the highest salaries, but middle specialists proficient in Java earn more than Python, JavaScript, .NET, Angular, and PHP specialists. As for senior software developers, .NET specialists have the highest wage, followed by Java, JavaScript, and Python experts.
Romanian vs. American Developers. Skills and Salary Comparison
Generally, junior professionals in Romania earn 3.5 times less than their counterparts in the US, and experienced professionals earn 2.3 times less. Therefore, hiring Romanian developers can be a strategic choice for tech companies seeking the best price-to-quality ratio.
| Role Title | Junior | Middle | Senior | |||
| Romania | USA | Romania | USA | Romania | USA | |
| Java Developer | $24,000 | $83,700 | $52,800 | $125,000 | $73,300 | $170,000 |
| JavaScript Developer | $23,000 | $79,500 | $47,000 | $108,000 | $70,000 | $157,000 |
| Python Developer | $25,200 | $85,000 | $61,600 | $132,000 | $72,000 | $162,000 |
| Angular Developer | $22,800 | $81,600 | $46,800 | $102,000 | $67,200 | $141,600 |
| .NET Developer | $21,600 | $74,400 | $45,600 | $110,400 | $81,600 | $153,600 |
| DevOps | $28,800 | $85,000 | $54,000 | $132,000 | $84,000 | $204,000 |
| Magento Developer | $28,000 | $80,000 | $50,000 | $120,000 | $78,000 | $160,000 |
4 Most Common Ways to Hire Romanian Developers
How do I hire a foreign developer? There are several options that best suit your budget and business vision.
Partnering Up with a Professional Outstaffing Provider
If you want to fill specific skill gaps, accelerate your development process, or get access to specialized expertise, Qubit Labs will find a perfect match for you. We will source talent based on your project requirements, sign all agreements and employment contracts, including an NDA, onboard new hires, and retain them. This approach will allow you to focus on your core business objectives.
Hiring Romanian Developers In-House
In-house developers demonstrate the highest level of commitment and are always ready to solve any problem. On the flip side, you invest more money in in-house recruitment and don’t have access to innovation and rare knowledge.
Cooperating with A Recruitment Services Provider
A recruitment agency will find top-notch candidates for you, but you should manage employee retention and can’t scale your software development team up or down if needed.
Working with Outsourcing Companies
Outsourcing companies can deliver high-quality digital solutions. However, there can be hidden fees, missed deadlines, and security risks.
How to Hire Developers in Romania: Qubit Labs’ Tips
Qubit Labs has extensive experience hiring Romanian developers, so we want to debunk some myths about Romanian engineers, share our insights, and offer exclusive tips on making your hiring process successful. Here are tips from Olha Bereza, a Technical Recruiter at Qubit Labs.
- Romanian developers are a win-win option for challenging, complex projects
Recruiter’s Comment: “One common belief is that Romanian developers are usually suitable for low-level outsourcing tasks. However, it’s outdated. Today, Romanian developers are developing innovative complex projects, exemplified by companies like Bitdefender and UiPath. UiPath is a Romanian leader in robotic process automation, and they even achieved unicorn status.”
- Software developers in Romania speak English fluently so that a language barrier won’t be an issue. Qubit Labs’ latest report shows that 88.6% of tech companies do not have communication difficulties with remote software development teams.
Recruiter’s Comment: “Another stereotype is a lack of communication and poor English skills. In reality, many developers are highly proficient in English, and according to the EF English Proficiency Index, they rank 15 globally.”
- Remote developers will be a great cultural fit for US and Western European companies.
Recruiter’s Comment: “There is a perception that the work culture in Romania is overly hierarchical. This might be partially true for traditional sectors like heavy industry or banking. Most IT companies, especially startups, have a more collaborative and flat organizational structure than hierarchical.”
- Decide on a type of cooperation to streamline the hiring process.
Recruiter’s Comment: “Decide on a type of cooperation at the beginning, as B2B rates differ from rates offered by a standard employment contract. Also, Romanian contractors prefer providing their expectations in daily rates rather than hourly rates or monthly rates, as is common in some countries. So, being clear on these details can make negotiations smoother and more successful.”
If you want to build a professional tech team, partner with Qubit Labs. We guarantee to match you with a specialist based on your business and budget requirements.
FAQs
How Can I Find Top Talent in Romania?
Here are some handy tips on how to hire developers in Romania. You can leverage local job portals, attend industry conferences, workshops, and tech meetups to boost networking, and cooperate with Romanian academic institutions and technical schools to connect with future tech specialists. However, partnering with Qubit Labs is your top choice if you want to find the best specialists at competitive rates and get complete control over a development team.
What Cultural Aspects Should I Consider When Integrating Romanian Developers into My Team?
Romanian workplaces value clear, respectful communication, balancing directness with a considerate tone. Romanian software engineers are known for their strong work ethic and commitment to quality, punctuality, and adherence to deadlines, which are highly prioritized.
Are Romanian Developers as Affordable as Those in Other Countries?
Romanian developers may be more affordable than remote developers in other countries. Romanian software engineers typically offer lower fees than their Western European or North American counterparts. For instance, middle JavaScript developers earn $47,000 annually in Romania, but this wage is $70,000 in the Netherlands. In the USA, the salary of these specialists is $108,000, and such experts earn $100,000 in Australia. Romanian software engineers adhere to the highest quality standards despite their affordable rates.
How Do I Facilitate Effective Interaction with Romanian Programmers?
To foster a supportive and productive work environment, ensure transparent and smooth communication, be flexible and respectful, and consider all cultural norms.
How Does Qubit Labs Help with the Hiring Process in Romania?
Qubit Labs sources talent in Romania and in other countries worldwide. We have a multi-step interviewing process and various assessments to ensure we match you with a perfect candidate. We manage all administrative, legal, and financial issues, protecting our customers from potential risks or liabilities. We offer transparent cooperation without hidden fees, missed deadlines, and administrative burdens. According to our clients, we provide high-quality candidates, professional project management, flexibility, and transparent pricing. You can read more reviews on Clutch or read our case studies.
Unlock World-Class Talent by Hiring Remote Developers in Romania
Thus, Romania offers a perfect price-to-quality ratio, allowing you to save your money and allocate resources wisely. Also, it boasts a vast talent pool of specialists proficient in various programming languages and with excellent English skills. Qubit Labs’ experience shows that Romanian engineers can be a valuable asset to your team because they work effortlessly on complex projects, have deep expertise, and have excellent soft skills. If you want to build a dedicated team or hire software engineers to expand your in-house team, contact Qubit Labs. We will explain in detail why hiring software developers in Romania is your ultimate choice and how we can help.
