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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.

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.

Read also:

Python Developer Salaries by Country

JavaScript Developer Salaries by Country

Why  do AI Roles earn 30–50% more than standard backend?

Given that Python is one of the most popular programming languages, it is no wonder that it is interesting to see the trends in salaries. It is especially important given that with Python it is not really the junior/senior distinction but more the specialization. In this article, we will examine the differences between the salaries of “regular” Python developers and compare them with salaries of those who invested time and effort to learn AI / Machine Learning.

Python Salaries: Why the averages are not telling the whole truth?

Python regularly ranks as one of the most widely used programming languages in the world. It powers web backends, automation, data processing, scientific computing, and — increasingly — artificial intelligence. Because of this breadth, Python salary data often looks confusing or contradictory. Reports may list Python as “well paid,” while individual companies struggle to understand why two Python developers can have radically different compensation expectations.

The reason is simple: the Python market has split into distinct salary tracks

Unlike JavaScript, where the biggest salary jump usually happens between mid-level and senior roles, Python shows a different pattern. The most important divide is not experience alone, but specialization. A Python developer working on backend systems using Django or Flask is priced very differently from a Python engineer building machine learning pipelines, training models, or deploying AI systems.

For HR teams, finance leaders, and hiring managers, this distinction is critical. Budgeting for a “Python developer” without specifying the role profile often leads to underestimation, delays, or failed hires.

Two Python Markets, One Job Title?

From a distance, Python roles may look similar. The same language, similar tooling, and often overlapping skill sets. In practice, however, the market clearly differentiates Python developer roles:

• Standard Python Backend / Automation roles
• Web backends (Django, Flask, FastAPI)
• Internal tools and scripting
• APIs, integrations, data processing
• Python + AI / Machine Learning roles
• Model training and evaluation
• Data pipelines and feature engineering
• LLM integration, MLOps, production deployment

The second group commands a salary premium of roughly 30–50%, depending on geography and seniority. This premium is visible across nearly all mature markets and has widened over the last two years.

What are then the standard Python backend salaries by country?

Let’s first look at standard Python backend roles, which are often comparable to Java or Node.js backend positions. These roles are well understood, widely available, and relatively predictable in cost.

Some of the conclusions are straightforward:

• Poland and CEE remain the most cost-efficient markets for backend Python, especially at junior and mid levels.
• Germany and Scandinavia show moderate but steady salary levels, shaped by regulated labor markets.
• USA and Switzerland sit at a structurally higher baseline, even for non-AI roles.

For finance teams, these roles are relatively easy to model. Supply is good, salary growth has slowed, and expectations are generally aligned with broader backend development markets.

Python + AI / Machine Learning Salaries by Country

The picture changes significantly once AI or machine learning enters the job description.

*Entry-level AI roles usually require advanced education or prior professional experience.

Here, the AI premium becomes clear. Even at the entry level, AI-oriented Python roles start well above standard backend salaries. At senior level, the gap widens dramatically.

A senior AI engineer in Poland often costs less than half of a comparable profile in the USA or Switzerland  despite working with the same tools, frameworks, and models.

Why do AI roles mean a premium?

The salary gap is not accidental. It is driven by several structural factors:

Scarcity of Practical AI Experience

While many developers learn Python, far fewer have real-world experience with machine learning systems in production. Training models is one thing; deploying, monitoring, and maintaining them is another. Companies are paying for proven capability, not theoretical knowledge.

Higher Business Impact and Risk

AI systems increasingly sit at the core of products: recommendation engines, pricing models, fraud detection, customer support automation. Errors are costly, both financially and reputationally. Employers are therefore willing to pay more for engineers who reduce that risk.

Cross-disciplinary Skill Set

AI-focused Python roles often require knowledge of statistics, data engineering, cloud infrastructure, and sometimes domain expertise. This combination narrows the talent pool and pushes salaries upward.

Junior vs Senior Python Developer: Why  does AI break the usual career logic?

In standard backend development, the junior-to-senior progression is relatively linear. Juniors are plentiful, seniors are scarcer, and salaries increase accordingly.

In AI, this logic breaks down.

A “junior AI engineer” is rarely a true junior. 

In many cases, these candidates:

• hold a Master’s degree or PhD,
• have several years of general software experience,
• or come from academic or research backgrounds.

As a result, AI juniors are expensive everywhere, particularly in the USA and Switzerland, where annual compensation can easily exceed €100,000 even at entry level.

For HR teams, this creates a planning challenge: AI hiring does not scale the same way as backend hiring. There is no large pool of low-cost juniors to build teams cheaply.

Regional Perspectives: Where do we see the highest pressure?

Poland and Central Europe

Poland remains one of the most efficient markets for Python talent. Standard backend salaries have stabilized, with limited year-over-year growth. AI roles, however, are under pressure, driven by remote hiring from Western Europe and the USA. The discount still exists, but it is narrowing.

Germany and Scandinavia

Salary structures are more rigid. AI roles often exceed standard salary bands, forcing companies to use freelance or consulting contracts. This increases total cost and complicates budgeting.

USA and Switzerland

These markets have largely decoupled from global averages for AI talent. Competition between big tech, startups, and enterprises has created significant volatility. Budget forecasts often require buffers of ±20% or more.

What does this mean for finance and resource planning?

For decision-makers, the key lesson is straightforward: Python is not one role.

Budgeting for Python talent requires answering a more precise question:

Are we hiring for backend reliability and scalability?

Or for intelligence, models, and algorithms?

Each choice implies a very different cost structure, hiring timeline, and retention strategy. Failing to make this distinction early often leads to stalled recruitment processes or unplanned budget increases.

The Bigger Picture: output vs cost

Despite the salary differences, AI engineers across countries largely use the same ecosystem: PyTorch, TensorFlow, Hugging Face, OpenAI APIs, cloud platforms. The difference lies less in tools and more in cost structures.

This is why many organizations increasingly evaluate hiring decisions through the lens of output quality per cost unit. A well-paid AI engineer in a high-cost market does not automatically deliver proportionally higher value than a similarly skilled engineer in a lower-cost location.

Let’s recap…

Python will remain central to software development for years to come. But its salary landscape is no longer uniform. The market now clearly distinguishes between general backend roles and AI-driven specialization, with the latter commanding a substantial and persistent premium.

For candidates, this highlights where long-term salary leverage lies. For companies, it underscores the importance of precision in role definition and budget planning. Understanding which Python you are hiring for is no longer optional  it is a prerequisite for sustainable hiring decisions.

Naturally, this data is based on our own observations plus the available sources of information. It may therefore not be objective as no deep market analysis has been created and no statistical data is available. Please treat this data as informative and not a base for any decisions.

Read also:

JavaScript Developer Salaries by Country

For global HR and finance teams, these questions are important when creating budgets for the new year; for benchmarking their salaries with how much other companies pay. That is why companies like ours are often asked to share some data and statistics based on our own observations working with multiple clients in various countries.JavaScript developers often represent a significant share of engineering headcount, and even small changes in salary levels can materially affect annual budgets. Understanding where salary differences come from is therefore essential for planning.

This article focuses on JavaScript (Node.js + React), currently one of the most common full-stack combinations worldwide. It looks at average monthly salary levels by country, clearly distinguishes between junior and senior developers, and adds context around salary stability and recent trends.

How are Javascript developers paid in various countries?

Across global markets, JavaScript developer salaries differ significantly. These differences are visible already at junior level, but they become much more pronounced as developers gain experience and move into senior roles.

Based on aggregated market data (job boards with published ranges, compensation platforms, freelance benchmarks) and first-hand observations from active hiring processes, the following average monthly salary levels (EUR equivalent) provide a realistic picture of what companies currently pay.

These figures represent ongoing monthly cost to company and exclude one-off bonuses or equity. The data has been gathered based on our own experience but also on the available sources on the internet.

Where do the differences start?

At the junior or entry level, salary gaps already exist, but they are relatively contained compared to senior roles.

A junior JavaScript developer in Poland earns on average €3,900 per month. The same profile costs approximately:

€6,200 in Germany (+59%)

€6,800–€7,000 in Norway and Sweden (+74% to +79%)

€6,800 in the USA (+74%)

€5,200 in Israel (+33%)

€11,500 in Switzerland (+195%)

At this career stage, the actual skills gap between countries is often limited. Junior developers globally use the same frameworks, documentation, and learning resources. 

As a result, salary differences at this level are driven largely by local cost of living, taxation, and labor market structures, rather than by a proportional difference in productivity.

For finance teams, this means junior hiring costs are predictable but structurally different by country. Switzerland and Scandinavia sit at a permanently higher baseline, while Central Europe remains significantly more affordable.

Senior JavaScript Developer Salaries: Where it becomes more expensive?

The picture changes materially at the senior level (5–8+ years). This is where salary curves diverge sharply and where hiring decisions have the biggest long-term budget impact.

A senior JavaScript developer in Poland averages €6,200 per month. Comparable profiles cost:

€10,200 in the USA (+65%)

€10,800 in Germany (+74%)

€12,000 in Norway (+94%)

€14,000 in Sweden (+126%)

€9,200 in Israel (+48%)

€20,500 in Switzerland (+231%)

From a budgeting perspective, the key insight is that senior costs scale faster than junior costs. Teams rarely operate without senior oversight, architecture ownership, and code review capacity. As a result, total engineering cost grows disproportionately once senior headcount increases.

This is particularly relevant for long-term planning: a team that appears affordable at junior level can become significantly more expensive once senior roles are added especially in high-cost markets.

Why senior salary gaps matter more than junior gaps?

Across all countries listed, senior developers operate in the same global JavaScript ecosystem. They work with the same Node.js versions, the same React frameworks, the same ECMAScript standards, and often on the same types of distributed systems.

The cost differences therefore do not reflect a linear difference in output. A senior JavaScript developer in Switzerland does not deliver three times the value of a senior developer in Poland yet the salary difference suggests exactly that.

This is why many global organizations now evaluate salaries not only in absolute terms, but through the lens of output quality per cost unit: how much reliable, maintainable software is delivered for each euro spent.

What should finance teams expect: growth, decline or stability in JS developer salaries?

Beyond current salary levels, finance and HR leaders also need to understand salary dynamics: are these numbers rising quickly, or have they stabilized?

Poland: stability rather than growth

Our own data — based on continuous monitoring of candidate salary expectations and actual client offers — shows that JavaScript salaries in Poland have remained largely flat over the past 12 months, with changes typically within ±5%, i.e. below inflation. This aligns with broader market observations that the rapid post-pandemic salary growth has slowed significantly.

For budgeting purposes, Poland currently offers high predictability in JavaScript salary planning.

Western Europe and Scandinavia: low single-digit growth

In Germany, Sweden, and Norway, salary growth has continued but at a moderate pace, typically in the low single-digit to mid-single-digit range. Collective labour structures and mature markets tend to smooth out sudden spikes, but senior roles still exert upward pressure.

USA and Israel: selective increases

In the USA and Israel, average JavaScript salaries have grown modestly, but increases are uneven. General market growth remains contained, while niche skills or leadership roles can still command premiums. For finance teams, this means overall budgets may rise slowly, but exceptions need to be planned for.

Switzerland: high baseline, controlled growth

Switzerland remains the highest-cost market by a wide margin, but salary growth itself is typically controlled rather than explosive. The challenge here is not volatility, but the absolute level of ongoing cost.

Where do these figures come from?

As a Poland-based company working daily with JavaScript developers and international clients, our perspective combines two sides of the market:

• Supply side: real salary expectations of JavaScript candidates in Poland
• Demand side: actual budget constraints and offers from clients in the USA, Israel, Switzerland, and Scandinavian countries

To ensure objectivity, these internal observations were complemented with external data:

• public compensation platforms (e.g. Levels.fyi),
• broad-market aggregators (e.g. Glassdoor),
• job boards with published salary ranges,
• freelance and day-rate benchmarks converted into monthly equivalents (160 hours).

All figures were normalized to euros and averaged, with outliers removed. Equity, signing bonuses, and one-off incentives were excluded to focus on recurring salary cost, which is what matters most for budgeting.

How can this help in expense planning?

For HR and finance leaders, several conclusions are clear:

• JavaScript salary levels differ structurally, not temporarily, between countries
• Senior salaries diverge much more than junior salaries
• Poland currently combines lower absolute cost with high salary stability
• High-cost markets rarely deliver proportionally higher output

This does not mean that companies should always hire in the cheapest location. It means that salary decisions should be made with a clear understanding of both level and trajectory.

Final conclusions

When budgeting JavaScript roles, location matters not only because of availability and cost, but because of how salary levels evolve over time and how much value they buy. Junior salaries set the entry point, but senior salaries determine long-term cost. Markets with high baseline salaries rarely offer proportional gains in output, while markets with stable, moderate salary levels provide predictability and flexibility.

For global organizations, understanding JavaScript salaries by country, by seniority, and by trend is no longer optional. It is a prerequisite for building sustainable engineering budgets in an increasingly global labor market.

Naturally, this data is based on our own observations plus the available sources of information. It may therefore not be objective as no deep market analysis has been created and no statistical data is available. Please treat this data as informative and not a base for any decisions.

Read also:

Python Developer Salaries by Country

Don’t send a “one-size-fits-all” CV – tailor it to the job

ATS systems (Applicant Tracking Systems) scan your CV before it reaches a human recruiter. If your document is too generic or doesn’t match the job description, it will rank lower. But here’s an important point many candidates get wrong: Ultimately, real people read your CV especially if you work with technologies like .NET or Java where the competition is very high.

What to add/change in your CV to make it tailored to the IT job you’re applying for?

• Adjust your professional summary to match the role
• Highlight experience and technologies that are specifically mentioned in the job description

If the role requires Python for data analytics, make your Python projects and data skills visible immediately. Use keywords that appear in the job ad (the ATS picks them up, and so will the recruiter). Speak the employer’s language and not a generic one.

Add real substance under each job: not just titles

One of the biggest problems with AI-written CVs is the lack of detail. They often list job titles without explaining what the candidate did.

If you write: Fullstack Developer, Company X, 2021–2023 That tells us almost nothing. Instead, always add 3–5 bullet points, for example:

• Built a microservice architecture using .NET 6 and React
• Improved page performance by 30%
• Designed and maintained CI/CD pipelines in Azure DevOps
• Mentored two junior developers

You don’t have to reveal confidential details — just describe your contribution, your scope of work, and any impact you made. This is what makes your CV unique and human.

Should you add a photo?

Short answer: it’s your choice and it’s rarely necessary.

No company can require you to include a photo, and in software development roles it has no impact on your technical evaluation. If you like, add it. If not — skip it. It will not affect your chances.

What you should include: LinkedIn & GitHub

In modern IT recruitment, this is almost a standard: LinkedIn profile link and GitHub, GitLab or portfolio links. This is because they give recruiters and hiring managers a quick way to verify your activity, see your code samples, understand the technologies you use, and confirm your experience. A strong LinkedIn + GitHub combo already helps you stand out against candidates who submit only a static PDF.

Invest time in your CV and see that it’s worth it

Some people think that the CV is a formality. It isn’t. In a competitive market, especially for widely used technologies, your CV is often the deciding factor between getting a call back or being filtered out among dozens of generic profiles.

If you’re not sure whether your CV represents you well, or you want feedback from a real person, not a bot, our team at Optiveum is always happy to advise.

Summary: AI-powered resumes? Not a good idea

Finally, AI-generated CVs are easy to spot and they rarely help you. Instead, take the time to: customize your CV, add real descriptions of your responsibilities, match your story to the role, and share your online technical footprint. This investment pays off. Your CV becomes stronger, more authentic, and more appealing both to ATS systems and to the people who ultimately make the hiring decisions.

If you want support in improving your CV or preparing for interviews, just reach out to us — we’re here to help.

A Changed Market: From Surging Demand to Strategic Hiring

As the co-founder of Optiveum, an IT recruitment company operating across Europe and the Middle East, I’ve had a front-row seat to the evolving dynamics of the tech talent market. And one thing is clear: the frenzied demand for developers that dominated the market in 2021–2023 has definitely cooled.

Back then, companies were desperate to hire developers, DevOps, and data engineers. Candidates were fielding multiple offers, negotiating hard, and often receiving generous counter-offers. Salaries surged, and recruiters had to move fast and creatively just to keep up. It was, in many ways, a candidate’s market.

Fast forward to 2025, and the market looks quite different. The pace has slowed. Employers are more cautious, and hiring decisions are now often tied to larger, long-term strategies rather than urgent delivery needs. But this doesn’t mean opportunity has disappeared — far from it. We’re beginning to see encouraging signs of stabilization, and in certain sectors, even growth.

Why Poland Is Still a Magnet for Global Investment

One of the reasons Poland remains attractive is its relative political and economic stability. Compared to other regions — whether it’s the uncertainty in Western economies or rising costs in Asia — Poland presents a safe, predictable, and business-friendly environment. This has not gone unnoticed by international companies.

At Optiveum, we currently work with four global clients who are actively expanding their engineering teams in Poland. Two of these clients are based in the United States. One is a Scandinavian tech firm. The fourth is a dynamic company from the Middle East. What’s fascinating is the strategic nature of these decisions — and how they reflect Poland’s growing reputation not just as a cost-effective location, but as a high-quality one.

From India to Poland: A Surprising Shift

The two US companies we work with have both made the decision to move part of their teams from India to Poland. On the surface, this might seem surprising. India has long been associated with affordable and skilled IT labor. However, both companies have shared that the quality of engineering in Poland, combined with cultural fit, strong communication skills, and time zone advantages, make it worth the higher cost. It’s a significant shift — one that signals Poland’s maturing role in global tech delivery.

New Engineering Centres and Leadership Roles

The Scandinavian company is expanding its team steadily, while the client from the Middle East is doing something even more ambitious: establishing an entirely new engineering center in Poland. The exact location is still flexible — any major Polish city is under consideration — but the goal is clear. This center will become the nucleus for a next-generation trading platform. And with that comes the need for strong leadership.

They are now looking for a Head of Engineering to lead this effort, someone with experience in building platforms in banking, crypto, or trading environments. What makes this role stand out is the opportunity it offers: the chance to build a center from the ground up, shape the team, and influence a global tech product from day one.

Meanwhile, one of the American companies is also hiring for a leadership role — a Director of Data Engineering & Analytics who will define their global data architecture and analytics strategy. These aren’t just back-office support roles; they’re strategic, business-critical positions. And they’re being placed in Poland.

New Engineering Centres and Leadership Roles

The Scandinavian company is expanding its team steadily, while the client from the Middle East is doing something even more ambitious: establishing an entirely new engineering center in Poland. The exact location is still flexible — any major Polish city is under consideration — but the goal is clear. This center will become the nucleus for a next-generation trading platform. And with that comes the need for strong leadership.

They are now looking for a Head of Engineering to lead this effort, someone with experience in building platforms in banking, crypto, or trading environments. What makes this role stand out is the opportunity it offers: the chance to build a center from the ground up, shape the team, and influence a global tech product from day one.

Meanwhile, one of the American companies is also hiring for a leadership role — a Director of Data Engineering & Analytics who will define their global data architecture and analytics strategy. These aren’t just back-office support roles; they’re strategic, business-critical positions. And they’re being placed in Poland.

Read more: here

Senior Software Engineer (.NET + AI)

Bring your backend expertise and AI curiosity to a fast-moving, innovation-driven team.
Read more: here

Software Engineer (React + AI)

Mid-level frontend role for engineers passionate about building AI-powered user experiences.
Read more: here
Check out the full job descriptions and feel free to share or reach out if you want to learn more!

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Photo by Benny RotlevyonUnsplash