15 Countries that Produce the Best Software Engineers
In this article, we will look at the 15 countries that produce the best software engineers. We will also discuss the growing apprehension regarding job security for software engineers. If you want to skip our detailed analysis, head straight to the 5 Countries that Produce the Best Software Engineers.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, USA, Software Developers, Quality Assurance Analysts, and Testers earned a median pay of $124,200 per year in 2022. The field had 1,795,300 jobs in 2022, with a projected 25% job outlook from 2022 to 2032. This increase is expected to result in 451,200 new job opportunities.
However, despite an excellent growth rate for the field, a recent survey conducted by Blind, an online anonymous platform, revealed that 90% of 9,338 polled software engineers believe it's now more challenging to secure a job compared to pre-pandemic times, with 66% stating it is "much harder." The competitive environment is evident as 80% of respondents claim the job market has become more intense over the past year. Shockingly, only 6% of software engineers express confidence in finding a new job with equivalent compensation, while 32% are "not at all confident." In 2022 and 2023, the tech sector saw over 400,000 layoffs, challenging the perception that software engineers were relatively immune.
The report suggests a huge shift in the perception of job security within the software engineering field, traditionally considered a haven. The increase in competition is attributed to a combination of industry-wide downturn and the growing influence of artificial intelligence. The emergence of AI-powered coding tools and their potential to streamline processes has fueled concerns about job security in the tech sector. Despite 28% expressing concerns about AI in their own roles, over 60% believe their companies will hire fewer people due to AI in the future, signaling a growing apprehension within the software engineering community.
Following the continuous lay off trends in the tech industry, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) has announced layoffs affecting 1,900 employees at Activision Blizzard and Xbox, marking approximately 8% of the overall Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gaming division, which employs around 22,000 people. The internal memo from Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) Gaming CEO Phil Spencer confirmed the decision who highlighted that there is a need for a sustainable cost structure to support the growing business.
The layoffs come just three months after Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) ‘s $68.7 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard. Alongside the job cuts, Blizzard president Mike Ybarra is leaving the company, and Blizzard's chief design officer, Allen Adham, is also departing. The memo reveals the cancellation of Blizzard's previously announced survival game, with affected employees being shifted to other early-stage projects.
Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT)’s last major layoffs occurred a year ago, impacting 10,000 employees. The company is set to report its fiscal Q2 2024 earnings, which will include the first results after the Activision Blizzard acquisition, next week.
On the other hand, Datadog, Inc (NASDAQ:DDOG) has emerged as a pivotal player in the tech and software industry, providing a comprehensive observability service for cloud-scale applications. Originally conceived as a solution to bridge the gap between developer and systems administration teams, Datadog, Inc (NASDAQ:DDOG) swiftly evolved into a cloud infrastructure monitoring service and now offers dashboards, alerting, and metric visualizations. Its growth parallels the increase in cloud adoption, with the platform expanding to cover major service providers like AWS, Microsoft Corp (NASDAQ:MSFT) Azure, and Google Cloud Platform.
Datadog, Inc (NASDAQ:DDOG)‘s technology features a Go-based agent and support for over 600 integrations across various cloud service providers and has become instrumental in optimizing system performance and troubleshooting. Recognized in Forbes' Cloud 100 and Deloitte's Fast 500 List, Datadog, Inc (NASDAQ:DDOG) is one of the fastest-growing and influential companies, playing a pertinent role in advancing the efficiency and reliability of modern software ecosystems.
An experienced software engineer working on a complex line of code in a programming suite.
Our Methodology
To compile a list of countries that produce the best software engineers, we utilized the QS World University Rankings for 2023 in Computer Science and Information Systems. Our approach involved identifying the top 100 art universities in the world and then selecting countries with the highest number of these top institutions. As a result, we have narrowed our selection to the top countries that consistently host leading software engineering and computer sciences universities.
Moreover, we tried to focus on the average salaries of software engineers around the world, and countries with the highest average salaries were shortlisted. The idea is that high-paying countries for software engineers, by default, would attract the top quality software engineers to their industries.
First, we ranked countries on these two metrics separataly and then averaged the rankings for both metrics to obtain our final rankings. The list is presented in descending order of average rank.
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Here is a list of the countries that produce the best software engineers in the world.
15. Japan
Average Rank: 16.5
The University of Tokyo, often referred to as "Todai," is one of Japan's most prestigious universities and is known for its strong emphasis on research and academic excellence in Computer Science. The average salary of a software engineer in Japan is $69,946.
14. Hong Kong
Average Rank: 15
Two companies in Hong Kong actively hiring software engineers are Tencent and Alibaba Group. Tencent is a multinational conglomerate and is renowned for its diverse portfolio of internet-related services and products, including social media, online gaming, and fintech. Alibaba Holding Group Limited (NYSE:BABA), on the other hand, is a global e-commerce giant, that operates various platforms like Alibaba.com and Taobao, and has expanded its influence into cloud computing and digital entertainment. The average salary of a software engineer in Hong Kong is $95,338
13. France
Average Rank: 14
France has a blooming tech ecosystem with 26 unicorns, 20 headquartered in Paris which highlights how robust the tech industry is there. Moreover, the French Tech visa attracts global talent, while AI and fintech sectors continue to dominate the markets, exemplified by companies like PayFit, Swile, and Shift Technology. The average salary of a software engineer in France is $78,607. It is one of the top 10 highest paying countries for software engineers.
12. South Korea
Average Rank: 13.5
A survey by the Ministry of SMEs and Startups in Korea reveals that over 75% of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) struggle to hire and retain local software engineers due to a talent shortage. The pay gap between SMEs and larger companies is cited as a major cause. More than half of the surveyed companies express a willingness to hire offshore software engineers, with 27.3% already having done so. India, Vietnam, China, and Indonesia are the preferred nationalities for offshore hires.
The average salary of a software engineer in South Korea is $63493. It is one of the countries with the highest salaries for IT professionals.
11. Italy
Average Rank: 13
Politecnico di Milano and University of Bologna are two of the top-ranked universities in Italy for software engineering. Politecnico di Milano is consistently recognized for its excellence in engineering and technology. The average salary of a software engineer in Italy is $71044.
Italy is one of the most advanced countries in space exploration.
10. China
Average Rank: 12.5
Three important technology companies in China actively hiring software engineers are Alibaba Holding Group Limited (NYSE:BABA), Tencent, and Baidu. The average annual salary of a software engineer in China is $56430. China is the country with the highest number of software engineers.
9. Denmark
Average Rank: 12
The country has a favorable attitude towards tech innovation with initiatives like Copenhagen's Techfestival and Aarhus' focus on Smart Cities. Moreover, Denmark is the second highest-paying county for software engineers with an annual average salary of $178,362. It is also one of the places with the best programmers in the world by country. Denmark is also one of the highest paying countries for engineers.
8. Belgium
Average Rank: 11.5
Becoming a software engineer in Belgium offers access to renowned companies like Barco, Proximus, and Umicore. The country promotes tech innovation with initiatives like Ghent's Tech Lane and Brussels' Co.Station. Cities like Brussels and Ghent have vibrant tech environment, while the central European location provides easy access to major European hubs.
KU leuven is the most renowned university in Belgium, especially for engineering and computer science programs. The average salary of software engineer in Beligum is $125,866. It is one of the countries that produce the best software engineers in Europe.
7. Singapore
Average Rank: 10
Singapore is the hub for software engineering with remarkable salary growth in recent years. In 2022, software engineers saw a 7.6% increase in salaries with a median of $5,000 for junior, $8,000 for senior, and $13,750 for engineering managers. The tech workforce demand is further fueled by AI. Singapore is one of the countries that produce the best engineers.
Singapore has an annual average salary of $15779. Owing to the high salaries in the country, it is one of the best countries for software engineer salary.
6. Canada
Average Rank: 9.5
The country thrives on tech innovation, notably in Vancouver's AI sector and Toronto's tech community. Cities like Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal provide a high quality of life, and rich cultural experiences, both of which contribute to an excellent environment for software engineers to grow.
The University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia are the best software engineering universities in Canada. It is one of the countries with the best software engineers. Canada is also one of the highest paying countries for data scientists.
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Disclosure: None. 15 Countries that Produce the Best Software Engineers is originally published on Insider Monkey.
