EstonianICT in Numbers
Estoniahas one of the most versatile and competent ICT industries in Europe and it islittle wonder it has been tagged as the Little Silicon Valley of Europe. Althoughthe country, with just about 1.2 million people, is a small one, that has notdeterred it from punching well above its weight in ICT, having become the go-toarea when it comes to new technologies. It is also an attractive hub forsoftware programmers.
OSKAreports that the ICT sector of the country has 22,970 experts, with the twocities of Tallinn and Tartu serving as the major centres of the country’s ICTconcentration. The ICT sectors is contributing considerably to the Estonianeconomy, however, the Estonian government has lofty ambitions for the industry.With the Digital Strategy 2020 for Estonia aimed at transforming ICT into themain sector of the country’s economy while also contributing up to a quarter ofthe country’ exports. Presently, Estonia host a lot of reputable foreigncompanies such as Microsoft, Arvato Financial Solutions, SAP, and so on. inaddition, it must be mentioned that a lot of IT innovations and technologiessuch as Skype and Transfer Wise originated from Estonia.
DeveloperSalaries in Estonia
On a global scale, the income of IT experts is on the rise and Estonia is not an exception.
Various factors influence how much a developer would cost: years of experience, the stack of technologies, and the complexity of the project.
Generally, software developers in Estonia receive wages which are higher than the country’s overall average. In 2016, for example, the average wages in that sector was €1,889 which was €770 higher than the average salary in the country.
A C++ specialist’s average income is €1140 per month while Java and Objective-C experts receive €1660 and €1640 respectively. Also, .NET, Python and PHP developers earn €1610, €1407 and €1397. In terms of positions, the top three ranked positions are IT architect, software engineer and project manager at €2284, €1709 and €1613 each. In general, the range of salary in the IT industry in Estonia is between €1500 and €5000 per month.
As the Estonian IT sector has become increasingly attractive for foreign investors employer, universities have increased the number of students for computer-related specializations, and many programming training courses sprang up.
Skills in Short Supply
Despite the attractive salary in the IT industry in Estonia, the workforce in that sector is still some way off the required number. Demand is still far more than supply and it is estimated that the country needs between 6,400 – 8,600 developers between now and 2020.
Some of the ways of increasing the workforce is creating awareness about the prospects in the industry among students. Also, the government has relaxed the regulations guiding
Why Estonia is an Attractive Outsourcing Destination
Estonia has an impressive record in ICT. The country has very good infrastructure, ease of doing business, etc. which have played important roles in driving the ICT sector to prosperity. In addition to these, Estonia boasts of diligent and committed software developers who are highly reputed for the quality of their work and adherence to time frames.
To sum up, the Estonian outsourcing industry has been performing very well in the past years and is set to grow further, both in terms of new investments, revenues, and employees.