2016 European Software Development Salary Survey

Geography

ONE OF THE MOST BASIC PIECES OF INFORMATION with a strong effect on salary is geography. Top countries where respondents were based were the UK (26%), Germany (14%), Spain (6%), Poland (5%), and the Netherlands (5%); 10% were based in countries not currently in the EU. Thirty countries had at least 20 respondents in the sample, allowing for a more detailed view of salary by region. We should note that, even so, not every country is assigned a separate coefficient: coefficients are chosen for world regions (usually continents) or for countries where salaries vary greatly from those in other countries in the region. In this section, therefore, we compare European countries to each other and to other regions of the world. We also note that the positive and negative US dollar amounts quoted as coefficients are only the beginning of a salary estimate: more coefficients will be added later on.

After the US, Switzerland, and Japan, the highest geographical coefficient was Australia’s, at +$29,636. New Zealand and Canada were lower (+$17,433 each), while Latin America (chiefly Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia) had a coefficient of –$9,057, below Asia but above Eastern Europe. South Africa (the only African country represented in the sample) had a relatively high median salary—$46K (compared to $31K for Asia)—but the South African respondents also tended to be among the most experienced in the sample, so their coefficient was only –$3,766. This is likely just a quirk of ...