For several months, IT companies have been facing a significant slowdown in the industry. Many of them faced a number of challenges and difficult personnel decisions related to this. Some of them were forced to make difficult choices in the form of layoffs, job cuts and salary freezes, while others took a cautious approach, prioritizing slow but steady growth in uncertain times. The reasons for these changes include, among others: a large number of IT specialists that have appeared on the labour market in Hungary in recent years, in conjunction with the expanding impact of artificial intelligence and business revision in organizations.
Evolution or revolution in the IT industry? And how does this relate to the earnings of IT specialists in Hungary?
Cpl experts estimate that earnings in the IT industry in 2024 will remain at the same level in most specializations. The amount of remuneration of IT specialists will depend primarily on experience and the position held, but the area of specialization will also be important - the differences may even reach several hundred thousand forints. The current average gross salary rates in the IT industry in Hungary, in selected areas, are as follows:
IT Technical Support 1st Line: 560 000 - 740 000 HUF
Software Development Manager: 1 940 000 HUF
IT Security Engineer: 1 240 000 HUF
Front End Developer: 1 275 000 HUF
Data Scientist: 885 000 HUF
Senior Ruby on Rails Developer: 1 925 000 HUF
According to data collected by Cpl, employers are currently most often looking for specialists in the following areas: Machine Learning Engineer, Data Scientist, AI Architect, AI Researcher, AI Engineer, DevOps Engineer related to AI.
Salaries in IT in Hungary compared to Central and Eastern European countries
Cpl, conducting recruitment in CEE countries, compared the pay rates offered for the same positions. The results of the "CEE Salary Guide 2024" report show that Hungarians currently earn quite well in the region, but are behind their Polish colleagues. Hungary is a leader in the region in terms of availability of qualified talent, especially in the case of niche positions or the latest technologies. The availability and quality of employees attract international companies to the Hungarian market. According to the comments of Cpl experts, local IT companies are saving heavily and have not increased salaries - the only positive changes concerned roles related to cloud solutions or DevOps. Slovaks, Hungarians and Bulgarians earn less on average than Poles and Czechs, with differences in individual positions amounting to up to 1 million HUF. The smallest increase in rates on the Slovak market was recorded in the IT sector. Current average gross salary rates in the IT industry in Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria* and Poland, in selected areas, are as follows:
Software Developer Java
• Hungary 830 000 HUF
• Czech Republic 1 440 000 HUF (90 000 CZK)
• Slovakia 1 145 500 HUF (2 900 EUR)
• Bulgaria 1 376 850 HUF (6 850BGN)
• Poland 1 683 500 HUF (18 500 PLN)
Software Developer C/C++
• Hungary 1 240 000 HUF
• Czech Republic 1 440 000 HUF (90 000 CZK)
• Slovakia 1 027 000 HUF (2 600 EUR)
• Bulgaria 1 306 500 HUF (6 500 BGN)
• Poland 1 365 000 HUF (15 000 PLN)
Data scientist
• Hungary 885 000 HUF
• Czech Republic 1 600 000 HUF (10 0000 CZK)
• Slovakia 1 362 750 HUF (3 450 EUR)
• Poland 2 138 500 HUF (23 500 PLN)
Business Intelligence Developer
• Hungary 1 108 000 HUF
• Czech Republic 1 200 000 HUF (75 000 CZK)
• Slovakia 948 000 HUF (2 400 EUR)
• Poland 1 456 000 HUF (16 000 PLN)
The level of remuneration is influenced by economic conditions in individual countries, the size of the labour market and the presence of foreign entities.
Investments in the development of new skills of IT employees will be key to maintaining the competitiveness of companies - both business and personnel. Employers should verify their plans as soon as possible - including their personal competences - in order to offer their employees, the opportunity to acquire new skills, thereby increasing the competitiveness of companies on the labour market. As Cpl experts note, flexibility, adaptation to new market conditions and the use of technological development, combined with human potential, are becoming key elements for companies and IT professionals striving to achieve success in this constantly developing industry.
The data quoted above are only a small part of the statistics presented in the Cpl report "CEE Salary Guide 2024". The results of the study, along with expert opinions and forecasts for 2024, are available on the CEE Salary Guide 2024 (cpl.com)
* monthly NET salary in case of Bulgaria