Estonia is no lightweight when it comes to the IT and software development sector. Generally regarded as the most startup-saturated country in Europe, Estonia is home to some pretty big tech names, including Transferwise, Skype and Bolt.

In fact, Estonia is so well-heeled in IT that it is considered a leader in technology and, according to one report, the world’s most digitally enabled nation. How’s that for some Estonian pride?

Considering the bubbly info tech background, it should come as no surprise that there’s quite a hotbed for software development jobs in Estonia. And as our data on MeetFrank shows, offers for these jobs have grown in 2019.

More companies on MeetFrank are looking to hire top talent for software development jobs in Estonia. From what we’ve found, there’s quite a bit you need to know if you’ll set yourself up for the best possible offer.

So, you want to know the best companies that offer remote workspaces? The perfect mix of skills you need to earn high? You’ll get all those answers and more here from the stats we have on the hottest trends for software development jobs in Estonia.

 

How big is the industry for IT and software development jobs in Estonia?

 

Okay, in case you didn’t get this before, Estonia is craaaazzy about IT. Really, how many countries have you seen come up with a 25-year IT-development plan as a key policy strategy?

Estonia did more than create a policy though, they stuck by their guns. IT is taught in the country from primary school onwards and the country’s universities collaborate closely with industry. This ensures massive technology transfer and equips its workforce with critical professional knowledge and practical experience.

Estonia also developed x-road, its very own private and public sector database that supports government e-services. It is a secure network of government services that all citizens and most residents have access to. 

When you have this sort of deliberate application, the results are predictable. The country’s IT and software sector contributes 7.4% of its GDP, with a yearly €3.6 billion turnover. The sector has produced 4 unicorns – businesses with more than $1 billion market value – and is #1 in Europe for activity and competitiveness.

Everybody wants a piece of Estonian ICT, with countries such as Finland and Namibia entrusting their government e-solutions to x-road. Currently, 128 countries use Estonian ICT and are loving every minute of it.

MeetFrank data indicates that compared to last 6 months of 2018, there are 35% more software development jobs on MeetFrank in 2019. This is an indicator of the growth of the platform and the increased opportunities for the best jobs in the Estonian software development sector in 2019.

 

What roles are employers most interested in filling?

According to our data on offers for software development jobs in Estonia for 2019, employers are most interested in senior developers. Out of the total offers on the platform between January to July 2019, 367 were made to developers in senior roles.

Mid-level developers were almost in similar demand, coming in second at 337, with offer for lead developers following close.

Entry roles attracted the least offers, barely entering into double figures, with only 15 offers recorded on the platform. Although there were more than 6 times more offers for junior developers, the figures indicate a continuing general trend.

Employers are showing quite a preference for experienced hands over candidates in lower cadre roles. This might be a signal for candidates to skill-up and obtain critical experience before hunkering down for the perfect job search.

 

How well do software development jobs in Estonia pay?

 

Quite well actually. For our track on average salaries per seniority, we found that entry roles averaged around €2,440 per month. Mid-level roles attracted €1,000 more at €3440 per month.

The highest paid employees were executives with an average monthly salary of €4,234, reinforcing the enhanced roles they’ll be expected to play in companies.

Our data on the general averages for software jobs in Estonia makes for more interesting reading though. At the lower end of the scale, the average minimum salary recorded on MeetFrank was €1,934 and at the other end, the average maximum was €3,617.

Blowing the caps off both averages though was the highest offer recorded. Some lucky person (hey it’s 2019, gender neutrality is woke) took home a surreal monthly check of €8,800.

As far as overall averages from month to month went, the figures were a lot closer. The lowest monthly average for the year was recorded in February, at €2,546 while the highest was €3,005, recorded in the month of July.

 

Most in-demand skills for software development jobs in Estonia

 

There are a great many skills and competencies required in software development jobs. In fact, more than you would expect.

From our data, a total of 106 different skills were required by employers across the first 6 months of 2019. Yes, 106.

The top 5 in-demand skills didn’t cut an awful lot out of that figure either. Full-stack development, backend development and JavaScript attracted the most demand, at 7% each.

Frontend development skills were required 6% of the time and Java was required for 5% of offers.

Considering the wide spread of required competencies, we were interested in finding what skills you would need to make the most buck for your metaphorical bang.

Turns out you need backend development, full-stack development and Java skills to earn far north of €2,500. Essentially, you need to possess at least the top 19% of required skills to stand a chance at making your dream salary.

 

Who do MeetFrank users want to work for?

 

Considering the stock that Estonia places on IT and software development, it’s not hard to see why the preferences of our Estonian users lie where they do. Most of our users in Estonia want to work for a startup, remotely or in Fintech.

There are quite a few opportunities in these areas too. Estonia is a cashless society with over 99% of its financial transactions occurring digitally. Blockchain and Electronic ID are in wide use and the country boasts over 80 Fintech companies including TransferWise and Guardtime.

Companies that fit the bill for these users include Monese, Bigbank, Swedbank and your friendly neighborhood MeetFrank.

Bigbank is also one of the top 10 companies currently hiring for software development jobs in Estonia. Others include Nortal, Derivco and Pocopay.

So, any of these companies catch your fancy? Check them out on MeetFrank to get a better idea of what they offer and how you may fit in.

 

Try out MeetFrank today

 

MeetFrank was created to make the job market open, stress-free and quite a bit fun really. We do all we can to ensure that companies can find the talent they need without undue pain and that talent can make the best possible decisions with all the necessary information.

To get started on MeetFrank, head on over here to check out our free app and see what the best companies are offering.

And if you’re a recruiter, get in touch with us here to book a demo call so you can see how MeetFrank works. We’ll look out for you.