The “Developer Shortage” is a Myth. It’s an Access Problem

The headlines scream about a crisis: a projected global gap of 85 million coders by 2030. But the math doesn’t hold up. In 2025 alone, the tech sector cut 183,000 jobs, flooding the market with skilled professionals.

The “developer shortage” is a myth. The real issue is access. While Western companies struggle to find senior developers, they ignore the 650,000 experts readily available in Central Europe. 

The developer shortage Poland narrative falls apart when you look at the data: the IT talent pool here is deep, experienced, and waiting. The problem isn’t a lack of people – it’s that most companies are still looking in the wrong place.

Debunking the Developer Shortage Myth

If there were a true shortage, every qualified applicant would be hired instantly. Instead, we see the opposite.

• Volume vs Efficiency: Job postings frequently receive hundreds of applications within days, yet remain unfilled. Industry data suggests an average of 43 applicants per tech hire, indicating that the bottleneck is often the screening process, not the candidate pool.
• The “Prestige” Trap: Reliance on credentialism and “prestige hiring” (hiring only from top universities or “FAANG” companies) effectively reduces the candidate pool by up to 90%.
• False Negatives: automated tracking systems (ATS) and rigid criteria create massive numbers of “false negatives,” rejecting qualified engineers before a human ever sees their code.

The Role of Layoffs and Market Realities

The 2025 market corrected sharply, with 17,280 layoffs recorded in a single week at its peak. This flood of talent into the market exposes the “shortage” as a distribution issue.

• Wage Suppression: Many “unfilled” roles are actually a result of wage suppression – companies offering below-market rates for senior roles and claiming a shortage when no one accepts.
• Retention Issues: Poor retention is the silent killer. Traditional hiring models see turnover rates of nearly 45%, forcing companies to constantly refill the same seats.

Global myths often ignore regional abundance, blinding companies to the solution: the developer shortage Polandnarrative is false when you look at the actual numbers.

Spotlight on Poland: A Thriving IT Talent Pool

While the West fights for scraps, Poland has solidified its position as the undisputed leader in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE).

• Massive Scale: The country is home to over 650,000 IT specialists, with 74,000 new graduates entering the market annually.
• Concentrated Quality: Talent is highly accessible, with 85% of professionals concentrated in major hubs like Warsaw, Krakow, and Wroclaw.
• Seniority is Standard: Contrary to the struggle to find senior developers elsewhere, 80% of the talent pool in Poland has 5+ years of experience.

This reservoir is rich in high-demand skills. Polish developers are globally ranked for their expertise in Java, Python, and AI technologies.

Why Access is the Barrier

If the talent is there, why the disconnect?

• Competition: Smart foreign companies are already snapping up locals; for instance, a significant portion of ICT professionals from neighboring regions have relocated to Poland, further deepening the pool.
• Slow Processes: The average time to hire a developer globally can drag on for 66 days. In a fast-moving market, good candidates are gone in ten.
• Regional Mismatch: Companies looking for “local” talent in San Francisco or London are fishing in empty ponds, ignoring the ocean across the Atlantic.

To truly tap into this IT talent pool, companies need a partner who understands the local landscape.

The Real Issue: Access Barriers in Hiring Senior Developers

The “shortage” is often a self-inflicted wound caused by inefficient hiring funnels.

• Biased Screening: 87% of firms face shortages because they prioritize brand prestige over actual coding ability.
• Cultural Mismatches: Hiring without understanding local work cultures leads to friction.
• Cost Barriers: Hiring in the US or UK is prohibitively expensive. Poland offers cost savings of up to 42% vs. the US, all while maintaining EU compliance and high English proficiency.
• Recruitment Delays: Many companies fall into common recruitment mistakes, such as slow feedback loops that lose top candidates.

Strategic Solutions

The solution is to bypass the global myths and go directly to the source.

• Nearshoring: Building integrated teams in Poland boosts retention to 95%. These aren’t just freelancers; they are core team members who stay.
• Contrarian Hiring: Instead of posting on generic job boards and hoping for the best, successful firms focus on vetted access.
• Precision: You don’t need more candidates; you need the right ones. Fixing inefficient processes is the first step to solving the shortage.

The narrative of a “developer shortage Poland” crumbles when you realize it is simply an access myth. The goal is to find senior developers who are ready to work but invisible to traditional search methods.

Unlocking Access: How RemoDevs Holds the Key

At RemoDevs, we don’t believe in the shortage. We believe in precision access.

• Exclusive Focus: We specialize 100% in the Polish market.
• Rigorous Vetting: We pre-screen every candidate. 90% are filtered out initially, ensuring you only see the top 10% with verified tech and soft skills.
• Speed: We present the first 5 candidates within hours (often 0 hours wait time for initial profiles).
• Seniority: 80% of our database consists of Seniors and Team Leads.

Proven Results

Our approach works. Since 2020, we have served 100+ companies, helping them scale efficiently.

• Fast Hires: Clients frequently make hires in as little as 10 days.
• Efficiency: By bypassing the “noise” of the global market, we connect you directly to the IT talent pool that actually matters.

Stop struggling to find senior developers on your own. We have the key to the door you didn’t know existed.

Conclusion

The “developer shortage” is a myth that protects inefficient hiring. The talent exists – it’s just waiting in Poland. With 650,000 experts and a solution to the “developer shortage Poland” narrative, the only barrier left is access.

Stop chasing myths, unlock Poland’s IT talent pool with RemoDevs.

Contact us today to find senior developers fast and scale your team.

Kamil Klepusewicz

Growth Expert

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