How to Сhoose a Сity for Software Development in Poland?

Many businesses that seek software development partners to outsource their IT projects consider Poland as an attractive outsourcing destination. The reasons for this are quite obvious.

The country is ranked 7th among the most successful IT industries across Europe out of 26 countries in the EU in total, with an impressive revenue of 8.8bn euros ($9.3bn) gained in 2022.

The Thologs Globalization Index 2021 considers Poland to be 14th the most digitized nation in the world. Meanwhile, much of Polish IT is focused on outsourcing software development services with 35% of employees working in custom software development companies.

All these factors make Poland a software development leader in the Central and Eastern European (CEE) region. Given this, the IT outsourcing rates remain rather moderate in comparison to Western Europe, the US, or Australia.

According to the Growth Perspectives for Polish ICN Sector by 2025 report, the Polish labor market has a qualified labor force with low costs of labor, much lower than in Sweden, Denmark, Spain, Netherlands, Germany, and others.

If you’re also considering outsourcing development to Poland, here is a quick guide on IT cities in Poland that have the most developed IT outsourcing infrastructure and services.

Are There Many IT Specialists in Poland?

Before we dive into the exploration of the Polish map with major IT cities, let’s have a look at the overall IT talent pool state in Poland.

• In 2022, there are over 400,000 professionals available on the IT market with 66% of tech talent employed by foreign capital
• IT industry market share makes 8% of Polish GDP and 2.7% share in employment with about 430,000 specialists, including 250,000 programmers
• The major foreign investors in the IT sector include Dell EMC, HP Inc, Lenovo, Microsoft, IBM Polska, Intel, Apple, Cisco, Oracle, Google, and others
• Poland is a major FDI investee in the Central and Eastern Europe region. In 2021 the country attracted 3.5 bn euros ($3.97 bn) of investments which will generate around 18,000 new jobs in the business services, IT and software development, automotive, medical, and other sectors
• In the 2020/2021 academic year, there were more than 66 thousand undergraduates that were studying ICT disciplines in Poland and the number of students is growing from year to year.

The Most Popular Programming Languages in Poland

According to Statista.com, the most popular programming languages in published job offers in Poland were JavaScript, Java, and Python.

The Most Popular IT Cities in Poland

The Polish IT market can offer a wide range of software development services and specialists for businesses of various sizes – from SMEs to huge international enterprises. However, not all Polish cities have enough capacity to satisfy the needs of enterprise-level companies.

For example, Warsaw, Wroclaw, and Krakow have the highest density of R&D specialists, while Poznan, Katowice and Lodz are better for small and medium companies in nearby countries or on the national market.

Let’s have a closer look at the most IT-driven Polish cities and find out the specifics of their IT communities.

Warsaw

Warsaw is the capital of Poland and one of the major IT hubs for outsourcing and doing business. The city has a population of 1,7 million residents and high employment rates in the IT sphere. The employment rate by headcount in various centers in the following:

• 64,000 employees working in business services centers;
• 26,000 people employed in SSC/GBS centers;
• 11,600 workers in BPO centers;
• 7,000 employees working in R&D centers.

The major R&D centers located in Warsaw are Samsung, Citi, Microsoft, P&G, and others.

Warsaw is also a leading academic center in Poland. The two Polish universities that graduate IT and technical specialists are:

• University of Warsaw – 1st University in Poland, ranked 284 in the QS World University Rankings;
• Warsaw University of Technology – 3rd Best University in Poland, ranked 311 in the QS World University Rankings.

Yearly, there are about 3,000 ICT students who graduate in Warsaw that join the Polish IT community.

Warsaw has a convenient connection with Polish and European cities. There are direct trains from Berlin and Vienna, and highways to Berlin, Poznan, Gdansk, and Katowice. Apart from that, it’s easy to reach Warsaw from the US, the city has two international airports.

Wroclaw

Wroclaw is another popular destination with an extensive IT talent pool that has over 52,500 professional software developers. Just like Warsaw, the city houses many foreign and domestic IT companies. Businesses from the US, Nordic countries, France, Switzerland, and the UK choose Wroclaw companies to partner with. Wroclaw has 110 IT/R&D centers with 9,700 people employed. The major ones are IBM, Accenture, Capgemini, Dolby, Opera Software, Volvo IT, 3M, Nokia, and others.

The principal technical university of the city is Wroclaw University of Science and Technology. Each year it graduates 1,400 ICT students.

Krakow

Krakow, a former Polish capital, is one of the largest Polish cities that has a well-developed IT infrastructure. Its tech talent pool had over 82,000 experts in 2020. The city houses about 50 large multinational companies which are even more than in Warsaw which makes it a strong competitor in the Polish IT market. Google, IBM, Royal Dutch Shell, Cisco, and Motorola are among the many companies residing in Krakow.

The main tech universities of Krakow are:

• The Jagiellonian University of Krakow, the 2nd best university in Poland, ranked 293rd in the QS World University Rankings;
• AGH University of Science and technology.

Krakow takes second place after Warsaw in the number of IT graduates in Poland. Each year there are 2,000 ICT students graduating from the tech universities of Krakow.

Katowice

Katowice is the 11th most populous city in Poland. There are over 180 IT businesses that reside in this city or have their headquarters located there. There are almost 27,500 tech professionals specializing in branding, UI/UX design, web and mobile app development who work with the companies from Poland, France, and the UK.

The University of Silesia is a famous tech university in Katowice with 1,400 ICT students graduating each year.

TriCity

TriCity is the name of the area that unites three famous Polish towns on the shore of the Baltic Sea – Gdansk, Gdynia, and Sopot.

The region is popular for its shipping commerce and has a well-established tech talent pool with over 30,000 software developers. The principal international software development markets TriCity developers work in are the US, UK, and Nordic businesses.

There are about 60,000 students who study at 15 universities and academies in the region. The major tech university in the area is the Gdansk University of Technology which graduates about 1,000 tech students every year.

Lodz

Lodz has one of the largest IT labor markets in Poland. In total, the SSC/GBS, IT, BPO, and R&D have about 26,000 people employed in the Lodz centers, making one of the highest employment rate growth dynamics in Poland. The international companies that reside in Lodz include Fujitsu, Takeda, Commerzbank, DHL, Citi, Nordea, Dell, P&G, Corning, Emerson, Faller, Bosch, and others.

The major tech university in Lodz is the Lodz University of Technology. Being the 5th most frequently chosen university among students, it graduates about 1,000 IT tech students each year.

Poznan

In the IT market, Poznan is famous for working in the local market with 16% Polish clients, and the German market with 21.9% of clients. The city comprises about 50 IT companies and is an ideal choice for SMEs and startups.

The main Poznan international investors who have their headquarters there are Roche and Capgemini.

Poznan also has its own tech university – Adam Mickiewicz University with about 1,500 ICT students graduating from this university each year.

Conclusion

Poland represents an IT powerhouse in Europe that attracts many international large and small businesses for outsourcing or establishing their own R&D centers there. For those who consider outsourcing their software development to Poland, it’s essential to select the right company location.

Poland can offer several outsourcing locations with highly-qualified software development specialists and attractive development rates that will effectively meet small and big companies’ needs.