Increasing interest in Polish IT specialists

An interview with Paweł Woźniak, Co-Founder in Link Group Sp. z o.o.

Elwira Przybylska, FOCUS ON Business: The IT Contracting market sector thrived quite well during the COVID crisis. Certainly, the numbers speak for themselves and Link Group growth confirms that, by achieving the highest award in the Outsourcing Stars 2022 within IT Contracting category.

Paweł Woźniak, Link Group: Due to the popularity of cloud applications, we have noticed enormous demand for key competences based in the cloud environment. Implementation engineers are in huge demand, along with specialists who can run the entire process cycle, from building the concept of cloud migration, conducting business analysis and to providing legal advice. Remote work forced people to use a growing numer of different applications and that was a direct motivator for companies to take a closer look at their security departments. Security experts have a number of job opportunities to choose from, which include very attractive pay rates and we see growing demand for these skills.

Demand for a number of skills grew across all technology domains and there is a constant need to hire experienced and highly skilled workers. People who are able to jump immediately into a project and integrate quickly with the team are most sought after. Today, senior developers get the highest variety of job offers.

 Software engineers have been in high demand and the trend continues to be unchanged due to quickly progressing digital transformation. Experts are overwhelmed by the number of projects as companies push to hire more to attract new people and acquire new competences and that drives further talent scarcity. Globally, the Gig economy and all businesses built around it made remote work possible, where location does not matter. Regardless of whether you are from India, Poland or the US – what matters is your talent and skills when searching for a job. It means that the local players are in fierce competition with companies across the ocean who can offer way better financial benefits.

What is the typical length of the contract your Customers want? Do they vary among Customers and experts?

Customers these days look for flexibility. We have short, mid and long term contracts, however 1 year long is a market standard. Customers have the full authority to define and negotiate the terms of the contract and can adapt it according to their business needs. Naturally the shorter contract is, the service is getting more expensive. It’s due to the fact that although experts appreciate the flexibility they also want to have contracts predictability, so they will take shorter assignments, but will expect a premium rate for that We can point out the difference where customers decide to engage in a long term cooperation, as they require more complex solutions. In this case, the vendor has the responsibility to deliver resources and the customer only is interested to receive agreed service level. Experts who work on this type of contracts, can have different length and different types of employment including being a full time employee.

What other expectations Customers and experts have?

As mentioned before, everyone looks for flexibility. Experts want a flexible work approach, from the ability remote working, to work hours. This is reflected in the key aspects of their job: from time zone and availability on project to hybrid/remote and perks & benefits. In the past the employer dictated the terms how people work and since a few years we can see the fight for talent. Customers on the other hand, want employees, but are faced with headcount restrictions, so they don't want to commit to hiring on long term for projects, so they choose contractors. Due to lack of specific competences internally, they need to source externally in order to deliver full scope of the project.

How do Polish experts position themselves in the global IT market?

I would focus on specifics of IT jobs that can be done fully remotely. Poland is a strategic player where major enterprises and large startups locate their centers that lead to creation of talent pools. These days, more and more companies have noticed potential among Polish engineers, reflected by the growing number of offers received from abroad, especially from the US. Customers from the US and Europe always pay better than local employers, despite engineers being based fully remotely. Within the not very distant future, the majority of qualified engineers, who speak good English, will likely be working on international contracts.

 Everytime you open a salary report, you find out that the IT market salaries are skyrocketing. How much does it cost to hire a qualified contractor/freelancer?

I would say, hiring an expert is expensive but it’s worth it. At the same time freelance experts are able to gain significant remuneration, compared with being engaged on an employment contract. Customers on the other hand gain flexibility, specific skill set, speed in terms of project delivery and ability to test new things without major long term and financial commitment.

Salary reports in my opinion are highly unreliable. I am not trying to say we should not read them, however they vary a lot from the market reality. There are a number of reasons for this; each company has a medium salary range depending on its geographical location, its business model, as well as the business momentum where the business is located. Every company pays differently and has various forms of employment. Added to this, the significant demand for experts and the variety of jobs on offer, reflect an overwhelming disproportion. Rates can vary significantly, in some cases as high as double, for the same skills and geographical location.

Taking an example, a US based company, with large VC funding, building a product will offer different remuneration to qualified specialists, compared with an enterprise Client, which recently opened in Poland. They are both international companies, however their capabilities and requirements are different, which is why each project should be evaluated individually.

Thank you for the interview.

This article comes from magazine:
FOCUS ON Business #4 May-June (3/2022)