Software development jobs are on the rise due to the boom in the IT industry. Salaries vary greatly depending on the type of job, level of experience and the country. Today, we will look at the salaries for computer software engineers with a focus on Western European countries. If you are an employer, you may find this useful for finding staff that will lower your costs. If you are an employee, you may use the information to search for a job that will increase your income.
Trends in 2019
Python is a hugely popular programming language used globally. The highest average salaries can be found in the U.S and Switzerland. Some of the cheapest Python programmers are based in Spain and Portugal. In the Netherlands, a junior Python developer can earn $45,000 on average. This increases to around $55,500 for Middle Python developers and $67,000 for a senior developer.
Python is the 5th most popular programming language in the world and its popularity is likely to increase. As this happens, you can expect to see the demand for Python developers increase, and with this, an increase in average salaries.
When it comes to Java, the U.S and Switzerland are still some of the highest-paid. However senior developers in Australia are not far behind the average pay in Switzerland, while junior developers in Sweden and Norway earn more than those in the U.S. Spain and Portugal still have the lowest-paid Java developers.
In the Netherlands, a Junior Java developer has an average salary of $43,500, a middle developer $65,000 and a senior developer $83,000. This is just $13,000 less than the highest-paid senior developers in Switzerland.
The market has its fair share of Java developers so it’s not assumed that the rates will vary that much.
JavaScript sees a shift in the highest average salaries while Spain and Portugal remain at the lowest. Norway and Denmark have higher average salaries at all levels of experience, with Switzerland still offering the highest. In the Netherlands, junior JavaScript developers are still earning a relatively low salary, $43,500. It looks more positive for middle and senior developers at $65,000 and $83,000 respectively.
There is a significant change for Ruby developers. The U.S has the highest average salaries with Switzerland not even coming close. A Ruby developer in the Netherlands has a better income than other languages. A junior developer can receive $53,500, a middle developer $61,000, and a senior $73,000. This is more than double than for the same job in Portugal.
The range for a junior developer is massive, from $16,000 to $93,000. Popularity plays a big part in the future salaries. In the U.K it is expected to increase, whereas in the U.S it is likely to decrease.
The U.S tops the chart for the highest salaries in both C++ and C#. Senior C++ developers in the U.S have an average salary of $250,000. In the Netherlands, this is just $58,000. For senior C# developers in the Netherlands, the average income is $76,000, less than half of that in the U.S. Middle C++ developers can earn $56,000 in the Netherlands, not quite as attractive as $66,000 for a C# developer. Junior C++ developers have an average salary of $44,000. Again, for C# this is higher at $52,000.
C++ salaries are unlikely to rise. In fact on the contrary, in the U.S and the U.K figures may fall. C# also doesn’t seem to show an increase, except for in the U.S.
The U.S is also ranked highest for PHP developers in all levels of experience. In Portugal, the average salary for a junior PHP developer is just $14,000. In the Netherlands, the figures are as expected. A junior PHP developer has an average salary of $43,000, a middle PHP developer $52,000 and a senior PHP developer $$77,000. This is more than Sweden, Norway, Finland, Australia, Spain, and Portugal.
Popularity for .NET in the Netherlands is growing but the salaries are still not nearly as high as those in the U.S or Switzerland. A junior .NET developer can earn $52,000 (over three times more than that in Portugal). Middle developers can earn $65,000 and senior .NET developers in the Netherlands can earn $71,000 (almost half of that in Switzerland).
Generally speaking, the U.S and Switzerland have some of the highest average salaries for junior, middle, and senior software developers. Spain and Portugal are providing some of the lowest average salaries.
The Netherlands is a good example of what to expect when working in Western Europe. Salaries are on par or just slightly lower than Scandinavian countries and in some cases, higher than those in the U.K.
