Here at CodeGym, we don’t just help you to learn how to code in Java from scratch. We also do all we can to support you with knowledge necessary to find a good Java Developer job after you complete the course (or when still in the middle of it, that happens as well), and hopefully have a long and fruitful professional career in software programming.
That is the reason we are making these reviews of the best tech companies in some of the most active markets of the world. Here’s a list of countries that we have covered previously:
Moving further East, let’s take another stop in a country that has been actively emerging and gaining strength as an economic power in the last decade or so: Poland.Even though Poland as a tech market and economy in general is not in position to rival the U.S., the UK, or Germany (not just yet), and, consequently, most Polish companies would not be able to pay a software developer as much as giants based in economic superpowers do, Poland’s tech sector is certainly worth looking at, both as as an employment source and a startup environment with some impressive success stories, lots of opportunities and pretty good growth prospects.
What Poland’s tech sector looks like?
After spending some time studying and analyzing tech companies that are based in Poland and jobs for software developers in this country we decided to split Polish tech sector into three basic groups: IT outsourcing companies, local tech startups, R&D centers of international giants.
We will cover each of these categories one by one, but here are some general notes first.
Same as with some of its eastern neighbours, Poland’s tech sector relies on outsourcing significantly. The IT outsourcing services market in Poland has grown from just $1 bln in 2010 to almost $5 bln in 2018, and is estimated to reach $12.4 bln by the end of 2021.
Even though on a global scale these figures are not that impressive (the size of India’s IT outsourcing market, for example, was around $126 bln in 2019), the market is clearly growing at a rapid pace, which is why Polish companies are feeling quite optimistic about their future.
R&D centers
We will talk about software development outsourcing, which would be the most common employer in Poland’s job market for a programmer, in a bit. Aside from traditional outsourcing software development, there is also development and research, and Poland is quite big in R&D. According to this source, international companies have opened over 40 R&D centers in Poland with more than 4,500 researchers working there.
Here’s a quick list of companies that have R&D centers in Poland.
Samsung
Siemens
Microsoft
Intel
LG Electronics
Google
Motorola
IBM
Delphi
Hewlett-Packard
Evidentially, if you live in Poland and feel like working for one of the global tech giants (and don’t want to relocate), you have such an option.
IT outsourcing: mobile development
These days Poland seems to be the most famous in IT outsourcing as a mobile app development market for European countries. According to some people, Warsaw and Krakow are two leading mobile app development centers in the EU. Considering mobile apps development relies on Java coders a lot, we decided this particular market segment is worth a separate look.
Here are a few mobile app development companies with seemingly decent reputations that are based in Poland.
WebClues Infotech
Mobiversal
Data EximIT
itCraft
nomtek
ImpiCode
UIG Studio
Droids On Roids
Miquido
Netguru
Most of them are small (10 to 50 employees) and medium studios (50-250 employees) that are typically not that different from each other, so let’s keep going, shall we?
IT outsourcing: software development and consulting
When it comes to software development and consulting in general throughout various tech sectors and market niches, Poland has dozens of various ‘software houses,’ which is a term for a typical software outsourcing firm working on projects for international or local clients.
Here are a few of the biggest software houses in Poland.
Future Processing
One of the oldest and most reputable outsourcing development companies in Poland. Future Processing was founded in 2000 and now has over 1000 employees. Specializes in web and enterprise development.
ELEKS
Founded back in 1991, ELEKS is a big international development and software engineering consultancy company with specialization in Big Data projects. ELEKS also has offices in the U.S., Germany, the UK, Ukraine and Estonia.
Avenga
Another big outsourcer with a decent reputation, Avenga has more than 2500 employees and offices in Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Malaysia, and the U.S. Specializes in a number of niches, mainly fintech, insurance, pharma, and life science.
JCommerce
Founded in 2005, JCommerce has a smaller team of just over 300 specialists and an office in Katowice, as well as six other Polish cities.
Unity Group
Unity Group is a software company founded in Poland more than 20 years ago. Specializes in IT systems integrations, machine learning and business intelligence solutions, digital transformation, data management, etc.
And this list could go on and on. There is no shortage of outsourcing software development companies in Poland, and they are actively hiring. For example, just on Glassdoor alone right now you can find over 2,500 open jobs for a Java developer in Poland.
Best tech startups in Poland
Got a bit bored reading about dull outsourcers that, frankly, hardly ever have anything unique or interesting about them? Cannot blame ya. Good thing is, we are now at the most exciting part of Poland’s tech employers review: startups.
CD Projekt RED Group
It makes perfect sense to start with CD Projekt RED, which is the first Polish unicorn startup and one of the most respected tech companies originated from and based in this country. CD Projekt RED is a game development company founded in 2002. It is mostly famous for its flagship franchise The Witcher, sold over 30 mln copies worldwide. In 2016 the company’s estimated net worth has surpassed $1 bln, making CD Projekt the first unicorn of Poland. Today, in 2020, the company is still on the rise, getting close to releasing Cyberpunk 2077, its new and highly anticipated role-playing video game, which, if a success, can drive CD Projekt’s evaluation through the roof. On the other hand, if Cyberpunk 2077 fails, the reputation of the company will be damaged significantly.
Allegro
Allegro is the second Poland’s startup estimated to be worth more than $1 bln. Founded in 1999, today Allegro is the largest e-commerce platform in Central and Eastern Europe. According to company data, 70 million items are sold through the Allegro platform monthly.
Docplanner
One of Polish startups that are considered to be well on their way to become new unicorns in a few years. Founded in 2011, Docplanner is a booking platform for medical appointments and one of two biggest healthcare startups in Europe (Doctolib from France being the second one). These days Docplanner is estimated to be worth over €400 mln and employs more than 1000 people overall, not just in Poland. The company also has operations in Turkey, Italy, Spain, Mexico and Brazil, and has been focusing on rapid growth in Latin American markets over the last few years.
Huuuge Games
Huuuge Games is a leading mobile games applications developer in Poland. Founded in 2014, now this company is estimated to be worth over €250 mln and, inspired by CD Projekt RED’s success, eyes initial public offering. And yes, being a mobile games developer, Huuuge Games are always looking to hire lots of Java developers.
Brainly
Brainly is considered to be the largest peer-to-peer learning community for students, parents and teachers. Founded in 2009 and based in Krakow, today Brainly already has more than 200 mln monthly users in 35 countries, but is looking to expand its audience to 500 mln in the next few years. The company is estimated to be worth more than €140 mln.
Salaries. How much a software developer in Poland can earn?
When it comes to salaries, Poland is considerably behind not just the U.S., an undisputed king of software developer’s wages, but Germany as well.
According to Salary Explorer, a software developer in Poland typically earns around 6,900 PLN ($1831) per month. PayScale tells us the average salary for a Software Developer in Poland is 99,304 PLN ($26,362) per year.
Maybe these figures are not that attractive compared to the ones in the U.S., for example, but don’t forget the cost of living is something to consider here (it’s very low in Poland), as well as the fact that lower salaries of software developers is one of the main factors contributing to the growth of Poland’s tech market and new investments in it. Which, in turn, creates lots of opportunities for success stories and further development. Overall, Poland’s tech market sure looks quite healthy and with a lot of potential for reaching new heights.
Even though Poland as a tech market and economy in general is not in position to rival the U.S., the UK, or Germany (not just yet), and, consequently, most Polish companies would not be able to pay a software developer as much as giants based in economic superpowers do, Poland’s tech sector is certainly worth looking at, both as as an employment source and a startup environment with some impressive success stories, lots of opportunities and pretty good growth prospects.
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