Developer Salaries: Did It Grow in 2023?

Salaries for software developers all across Europe did indeed grow in 2023. The question is: did they grow enough?

With the tech crisis from 2022 still lurking around the corner (the year with the most tech layoffs in Europe), it’s interesting to see how each country reacted to the tech freeze and if salaries were able to win the inflation battle.

This article is part of a longer report about the state of developer salaries in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and Spain. You can read the full report here.

Salaries in DACH

The salaries of tech professionals in Germany grew in 2023 by just 1.5%, which is a very moderate increase when we factor in the average inflation rate in 2023, which is around 8.3%.

According to the Federal Statistical Office of Germany, the steep inflation rates put everyone’s purchasing power into negative territory.

Which tech roles receive the highest paychecks in Germany?

Following tech leads, DevOps engineers and backend developers receive the highest salary offers from companies in Germany. The role of DevOps engineer could be considered this year’s ‘role on the rise’, with more and more positions opening and more companies requiring their services.

Which city pays the best buck?

Berlin is offering the most money to developers, while Hamburg offers the lowest salaries.

If you want to know more about salary trends in Germany check out our special Germany 2023 Salary Report with more charts and tables that will satisfy your every need.

Read the full GERMANY 2023 Salary Report here!

Austria

The salary landscape looks similar in Austria. Salaries are up, but only by around 1.3%.

In 2023, the average offered salary in Austria was €61,400, while salary expectations were closer to €63,500. Unlike Germany, Austrian companies showed a preference for fullstack developers, while backend developers occupied second place.

Read the full AUSTRIA 2023 Salary Report here!

Switzerland

And lastly, we come to Switzerland, which is offering developers a lot of money. Swiss tech salaries grew in 2023, and one of the most noticeable insights was how low salary expectations were for yet another year.

Software developers in Switzerland asked for 22% less money than the average salary offer.

As you can see, Switzerland is winning the salary race. But don’t be too hasty to pack your bags. The living cost is the highest of all countries examined in this report.

Read the full SWITZERLAND 2023 Salary Report here!

Salaries in the Netherlands

2023 has also been a year of growth for the salaries of developers based in the Netherlands. Specifically, the average salary grew by 2.4% in 2023, reaching €63,000. That’s a conservative but steady increase when we look at the numbers from the past five years.

Since 2018, the average wages for developers based in the Netherlands have seen a 12% increase.

Read the full NETHERLANDS 2023 Salary Report here!

Salaries in Spain

Out of all the countries examined in our report, Spain is the one where we see the biggest salary discrepancies. The average salary is much lower, close to €53,000, however, the cost of living is also considerably lower.

That means that developers living in Spain will still be enjoying a high quality of life.

Read the full SPAIN 2023 Salary Report here!

Most Popular Tech Role in Europe

When it comes to demand, there are two tech roles fighting over the popularity award. To determine demand, we checked which roles received the most interview invites in each country.

And without further ado... Companies based in Europe seem to have a sweet spot for backend developers. Their demand is high all across the countries studied in our report. After backend, fullstack is the second most sought-after tech role.

Now, that doesn’t mean that these roles are also receiving the highest salaries across the board. It means that companies have more open roles for backend and fullstack developers.

Other roles, like the role of DevOps engineer, might not be as sought after as backend/frontend/fullstack developers, but it’s a specialty growing in demand by the minute and with a much smaller supply of engineers.

And do you know what small supply means? Higher salaries.

There are many more interesting insights to discover in the full report. Metrics like salary expectations vs. salary offers, the gender pay gap, salaries by role and years of experience, and then some more.

Get the FULL Salary Report 2023 and discover Europe's developer salary trends.