Eximius Solutions
So you have made a decision that outsourcing web development to Central or Eastern Europe is highly compelling once you consider the cost savings and the fact that you do not need to sacrifice on quality.
There are a number of countries that can demonstrate strength across a variety of key variables, and today we will take a closer look at Serbia.
Human Capital
The tech sector employs about 75,000 people including many ‘repats’ who have returned to Serbia after working in North America or Western Europe. IT education is taught in primary schools and coding classes are compulsory from age 11. There is an exceptionally strong emphasis on technical sciences in the secondary school and university curriculums, and this has been ingrained in the culture for many decades.
English Proficiency
English is compulsory from primary school and is widely spoken. The level of business English proficiency stands out when compared to neighboring countries due to widespread experience in working with international clients. Many foreign companies have established large outsourcing operations in the country. Programmers speak English fluently and there is no language barrier to speak of.
Foreign Investment
Foreign firms have invested some $500 million in Serbian firms over the past 6 years, much of it in the tech sector. Industry leaders such as Microsoft have long standing regional headquarters and R&D centers in the country.
Economic Stability
Serbia is a candidate for European Union membership. Like many countries in Southeastern Europe, it has undergone dramatic economic change over the past several decades. It enjoyed five years of uninterrupted economic growth before the Covid-19 pandemic hit, but is already on the road to recovery. The business environment is stable and contracts are enforced.
A Time Zone That Works
For Western European countries, Serbia is in the nearly same time zone. For those in North America, your Serbian programmers will either be in the middle of their working day or near the end by the time you wake up, which means that yesterday’s work is done and ready for review so that you can confirm the priorities for the next day.