7 Reasons to Hire Developers from Serbia

Are you considering expanding your dev team with talent from Serbia? Perhaps you’ve heard great things about developers from Serbia but you’re not sure if it’s a good fit for you? You’re in the right place - we’re going to highlight a few of the major benefits of making this call. 

Quality and Expertise

Serbia is home to skilled, talented developers with a strong educational and practical background. As a country, Serbia has a long tradition of technical education, with high-quality computer science and engineering programs in universities. ICT is taught at 53 institutions of higher education across 24 cities, which is a lot for a country of its size. 

In addition to the strong academic foundation, there’s also a considerable DIY and self-learning trait present throughout several generations of developers, often placing them among the avant-garde of programming and software development. 

Great Price to Quality Ratio

Serbia offers highly skilled developers at a lower cost compared to most other places in Europe and in the US. The cost of living is generally lower in Serbia, so that may account for the affordability of the talent. Another reason is the high number of top-quality graduates from Serbian universities creating a large pool of highly skilled IT talent at a lower cost. 

Furthermore, the Serbian government has been actively and consistently promoting the development of the IT sector with a very favorable business climate for IT companies. 

Convenient Time Zone and Geographic Proximity

Serbia belongs to the Central European Standard Time Zone (GMT+1) which makes overlapping business hours easy. For companies based in Europe, there’s generally no adjustment required, and if you’re based in the US you will have a couple of joint business hours in the morning for conference calls and Zoom meetings. 

Plus, for European-based companies, Serbia is just a short flight away from most European cities. 

Excellent Command of English

Serbian people in general, and people with a tech background in particular, are known for their high proficiency in English. Not only are they highly proficient in IT terminology, they also possess a strong grasp of various language registers - from casual to formal. Obviously, this makes day-to-day communication much smoother and helps avoid any language-induced misunderstandings and process slowdowns. 

Cultural Compatibility

Due to the geographic position and a number of cultural and historical factors, Serbian developers have a strong understanding of the Western business culture, especially compared to some other outsourcing destinations.

Because of this, they are more likely to make a great fit within the team. Furthermore, since there’s no need for cultural onboarding, communication, and collaboration are more streamlined and efficient. 

Presence of Major Tech Companies

Over the last decade or so, the country has been welcoming more and more top-tier international corporations and companies opening their Serbian offices, and it’s a trend that doesn’t show signs of slowing down. IT is a particularly lively sector: Microsoft has been around for a while, then there’s Ubisoft, Seven Bridges Genomics, IBM, SAP and more. 

Highly skilled professionals, low operating costs and favorable tax and residence laws make Serbia a sought-after destination for offshoring and outsourcing.

Experience with Remote Work

Because the labor market in Serbia has been through several prolonged periods of difficulties and the lack of new job openings, Serbian developers have often had to look for remote jobs. A vast majority of them already have significant experience with remote work and will integrate into your team and your processes seamlessly. This gives them a considerable upperhand compared to other outsourcing destinations that are perhaps not so accustomed to remote work. 

Potential Downsides

While it’s clear that hiring Serbian developers is by all means an excellent move, there are still a couple of downsides to consider. 

For one, Serbia has rather strict and complex labor laws, especially for remote work. The legal framework for this sort of employment is going through some growing pains, although progress has been made that promises to benefit all sides - the workers, their remote employers and the government. However, this is typically not very relevant to the end client, especially when working through a staff augmentation model. A reputable and experienced outsourcing partner can help navigate these issues.

How to Hire Developers from Serbia

The process of finding and hiring developers from Serbia is somewhat different than the usual job market route that would involve job boards, freelance platforms, job fairs and scouting. Well, scouting (especially through LinkedIn) can actually be a good idea, but it’s definitely more convenient and more effective to work with an outsourcing company, a local recruiter or a staff augmentation company. 

By partnering up with a recruiting or staff augmentation company, you are making sure several aspects are taken care of. First, they will make sure you get the best possible match for your opening. These professionals can truly understand precisely what kind of talent you’re looking for, and they know just where to look for it. 

Second, a skilled recruiter will know how to overcome the labor law and tax restrictions that are in place in Serbia, helping both the employer and the employee make the best out of the situation. 

For instance, at FatCat, we take care not only of recruitment but also of all employment and back office aspects, from onboarding to payroll, benefits and compliances. In essence, our EOR Service makes sure all legal employment tasks are covered. 

In short, working with a recruiting professional who knows the Serbian IT labor market well will assure you get a top hire from this great pool of talented professionals. 

If you’re interested in hiring talent from Serbia or have any questions on this matter, our team of dedicated experts will be more than happy to assist you, so don’t hesitate to get in touch!