Turning Cyprus into a software development hub

‘You can’t always get what you want…so try…to get what you need’

When it comes to creating a software development hub, what the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger and Keith Richards wrote in 1969 applies quite tellingly to the global hunt for these skilled workers. There were about 5.5 million developers in Europe in 2020, and there was a shortage of 500,000 according to European Commission statistics. But the shortage is more acute, now that Europe is emerging from the pandemic. Today, 53 per cent of tech executives surveyed by Infoworld say that recruiting developers is one of the most daunting challenges they face. This is why Invest Cyprus has asked the Cyprus Mail to create this publication dedicated to thought leadership in our country on finding, attracting and bringing in developers to help build the growing tech centre here. Salaries for developers globally have risen steadily since 2016, with only a short pause in 2020 as many projects were cancelled.

In Switzerland, experienced developers earn $95,394, Norway $64,202, and Denmark $72,151 per year, according to Payscale. The average software developer salary by country in Europe is $60,162 for Germany, while in the Netherlands the salary falls to $54,025 per year. The average computer engineer salary in Sweden, Finland, and France ranges from $46,000 to $54,000 per year. The average software engineer salary in the UK is $42,000 and is the lowest among other countries.

In Cyprus, where there are 2,000 jobs available for developers at almost any given time, salaries run up to about €6,000 for experienced developers with the skills most in demand, and at times, developers with just general skills can earn at this level. But a slew of perquisites have to be attached to those salaries in order to attract the kind of skilled developers that companies here need.

Consider that in the US, the average salary for a top developer is $110,000 per year, and the package includes a car, free meals, and lots of other extras. The generic advertisement below shows a typical Cyprus offer for a developer. How can Cyprus compete?

Fortunately, Cyprus tech companies are gearing up their recruitment strategies, providing more perquisites and more money to bring developers here. And these companies are refining their recruiting techniques, to reach more developers abroad. In this publication, we examine these strategies, and the thought behind them in great detail. We also show what life is like for developers at a number of major Cyprus companies. The generic advertisement below is just the kind of developer that many companies in Cyprus are trying to find. We show how they are increasing their rates of success. Because: “If you try sometimes, you just might find, you get what you need.”

Full Stack Developer

NICOSIA, CYPRUS

We are looking for a Full Stack Developer to join our client’s growing team. You will be part of a cross-functional group that is responsible for the full software development life cycle, from design to implementation for a variety of clients and industries. Your role within the team will be primarily focused on mobile application development in React Native on new and existing projects.

Job Description

• Collaborate with other team members and stakeholders
• Create, customise and integrate software applications
• Troubleshoot and support software systems
• Setup, monitor, and administrate software systems
• Develop fast and secure applications from a list of requirements
• Translate UI/UX designs into responsive interfaces
• Develop and consume APIs
• Gather and analyse business requirements and write technical documentation if needed
• Work independently with little supervision
• Growth mindset and the ability to quickly learn new programming skills when required
• Seeing projects through the full life cycle

Your Profile

• 1+ year solid experience of development with React Native
• Proven experience as a Full Stack Developer or similar role
• Familiar with both Agile and Waterfall- based methodologies
• 3+ years of experience developing back-end languages with PHP frameworks, preferably Laravel
• 3+ years of experience developing multiple front-end languages and libraries like HTML/ CSS, JavaScript, XML, jQuery, JSON
• 2+ years of experience developing JavaScript frameworks (e.g. Angular, React, Node.js)
• 2+ years of extensive experience in developing APIs and Restful services
• Proven knowledge of working with databases
• Familiar with JIRA, Git, or similar
• Fluency in English, essential; additional languages a plus Benefits
• Plenty of remote work flexibility
• Provident fund
• 22 days of annual leave
• 13th salary
• Breakfast provided and contribution to gym membership