Poland’s IT Market 2025/2026: From “Eldorado” to a Mature Tech Economy
This year our company – Optiveum became strategic Partner of JustJoinIT a leading IT job portal in Poland in the creation of this Salary Report.
According to the Just Join IT Salary Report 2026, Poland remains one of Europe’s most important technology hubs but hiring decisions are now driven by specialization, experience, and measurable business value, rather than volume.
The report is based on:
- approximately 111,000 IT job offers published in 2025
- surveys from around 4,400 IT professionals
- a comparison of advertised salaries versus real earnings
For international companies considering IT recruitment in Poland, the conclusion is clear: the market is competitive, transparent, and predictable but no longer inflated.
What are the key IT Market Indicators (2025)?
- +8.4% year-over-year growth in IT job postings
- AI & Machine Learning salaries up to +15% YoY
- Data roles became the most recruited category (10.8% of all offers), overtaking JavaScript
- Hybrid work offers increased by 29%, establishing hybrid as the dominant work model
- Junior positions accounted for less than 5% of all job offers
The Polish IT market now strongly favors mid-level and senior professionals, particularly in Data, Cloud, and AI.
Developer Salaries in Poland (EUR): B2B vs Employment Contracts
A defining feature of the Polish IT market is the coexistence of:
- B2B contracts (self-employment, invoicing)
- Employment contracts (UoP)
In the last year there has been a great public debate whether these B2B contracts should still be legal. There were initial plans to limit their legality to very specific cases. Fortunately, the business approach won, and it has been confirmed that the government is not planning to introduce any changes.
This is one of the key differentiators of the Polish IT market: the flexibility of employment and relatively low employment costs.
| Seniority | B2B (net) | Employment Contract (gross) | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Junior | ~€2,100 | ~€1,860 | B2B ≈ +13% |
| Mid-level | ~€4,395 | ~€3,490 | B2B ≈ +26% |
| Senior | ~€5,760 | ~€5,015 | B2B ≈ +15% |
How to read this correctly?
- B2B figures reflect net invoice value (before personal taxation)
- Employment contract figures are gross salaries
- Effective net income on employment contracts is typically 65–72% of gross, depending on tax structure
As a result, the real take-home difference between B2B and employment contracts is often even larger than shown above.
Advertised Salaries vs Real Earnings: What do Developers Actually Make?
One of the most valuable insights from the report is the comparison between job offer ranges and real earnings.
Junior developers
Real earnings closely match advertised salaries (±1–2%). Expectations are generally realistic.
Mid-level developers
Actual earnings are on average 19–21% lower than the upper ranges shown in job ads.
This is the largest expectation gap in the market.
Senior developers (B2B)
Seniors are the only group whose real earnings slightly exceed advertised rates (+1%).
This reflects strong negotiation power and scarcity of advanced skills.
For international employers, this confirms that salary ranges in job ads often represent upper limits, not guarantees.
Salary Growth in 2025: Who Benefited?
Despite cautious hiring strategies, salary growth continued across most seniority levels:
- 62.5% of IT professionals received a salary increase
- 23% reported raises above 20%
- 29% received moderate increases of 6–10%
- Only 5.8% experienced salary reductions
Senior developers on employment contracts recorded the highest salary stability, indicating that companies increasingly treat key specialists as long-term assets.
AI, Data, and Cloud: Where Are IT Salaries Growing Fastest?
The strongest salary and hiring momentum are concentrated in:
- AI & Machine Learning
- Data Engineering and Analytics
- Cloud & DevOps
Generalist development roles are losing relative value, while deep specialization is consistently rewarded with higher compensation and stronger job security.
What does this mean for International IT Recruitment?
From an international perspective, Poland offers:
Strengths
- Highly skilled developers with strong English proficiency
- Competitive developer salaries in EUR compared to Western Europe
- Mature IT ecosystem and stable legal frameworks
Challenges
- Limited junior talent availability
- Salary negotiations require market understanding
- Specialized roles command premium compensation
Poland remains cost-effective, but success in hiring depends on accurate salary benchmarking and realistic expectations.
Market Perspective from Optiveum
Based on ongoing recruitment projects for international clients, three patterns dominate the Polish IT market:
- Specialization matters more than title
Advanced Data, AI, and Cloud engineers often out-earn generalist senior developers. - B2B remains essential for top talent
Especially for senior, architect, and AI-driven roles.
Hybrid work is now the norm.
Fully remote roles are declining, but flexibility remains a key factor in recruitment.
Conclusion
The Polish IT market in 2026 is no longer an “easy money” environment, but a mature, professional, and globally competitive ecosystem.
For companies that understand real salary levels, contract structures, and specialization trends, Poland continues to be one of Europe’s strongest locations for building high-quality tech teams.
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