Globally, pay for tech workers has stabilized and continued to grow at a steady 4-6%. The increase of baseline salaries for non-specialized tech roles remains moderate, but tech specialists skilled in AI/ML, cloud computing, and cybersecurity will receive a premium.
HR professionals need to stay informed about global salaries, as this enables them to focus on strategic workforce planning and attract and retain top talent. Here is a data-driven look at the tech industry salary trends in 2026, salary benchmarks by technology, and valuable tips for HR specialists.
IT Salaries: Trends for 2026
According to the Qubit Labs report, the average global salary for IT professionals increased by 4% to 20% in 2026. IT talent shortages across all sectors, combined with market conditions and the high cost of living in certain areas, have accelerated IT salary growth.
Here are the major IT salary trends that you should consider, especially as they directly impact hiring strategies.
AI/ML and Cloud Roles Earn a Premium
Software engineers with domain-specific knowledge and proficiency in complex systems can leverage AI/ML technologies to optimize workflows and enhance productivity. Therefore, they usually command higher salaries. For instance, a software engineer earns approximately $84,000 annually in the United Kingdom, whereas a machine learning engineer earns around $99,605 per year in the UK.
IT Talent Shortage Drives Up Specialized Role Salaries
According to a report by Hyve Managed Hosting, 81% of UK companies stated that the IT talent shortage had a negative impact on their operations. Software developers, DevOps engineers, data engineers, AI/ML developers, cybersecurity specialists, and mobile developers are the hardest-to-fill roles.
This talent shortage intensifies competition for talent, leading to salary premiums of 20-30% for specialized positions. According to Glassdoor, the average base pay for cybersecurity engineers in the UK is approximately $60,840, $72,758 for data engineers, and $64,825 for DevOps specialists.
This means that small businesses and startups often cannot compete directly with large companies for unique talent unless they leverage their strengths and innovative hiring methods.
Remote Work Reshaped the Tech Salary Landscape
Remote work has transformed the tech salary market, as companies compete with international market rates, and remote software engineers may receive 10-20% higher compensation than their on-site colleagues.
Additionally, tech salary trends in 2026 indicate that many firms are adopting a location-based pay system. Therefore, engineers in regions with a low cost of living deliver advanced solutions at more competitive rates than developers in economically developed countries.
Large tech companies focus on attracting elite talent, regardless of location. Therefore, they offer top salaries to developers with specialized skills worldwide, increasing the competition for top tech talent.
Emerging Markets Offer Competitive Rates
Companies are discovering new ways to combat IT talent shortages, outperform their competitors, and build long-term growth strategies. Therefore, they search for cost-effective yet high-quality options. Western European and North American countries offer high salaries to local specialists. Thus, companies employ various methods to reduce hiring costs.
For instance, an AI engineer in Switzerland earns approximately $16,191 per month, given that the annual salary in this country is roughly $194,281, as per Glassdoor.
In the UK, the AI developer salary is over $6,000 per month. A few companies can compete for top-tier talent. Therefore, they consider Eastern Europe as their primary nearshore destination. Local wages in these emerging tech hiring markets are competitive, the quality of service is high, and Eastern European developers are empowered to build scalable solutions.
The average tech salaries in 2026 of mid-level AI professionals in the region are as follows:
- Poland — $4,500
- Ukraine — $3,900
- Moldova — $3,100
- Romania — $4,200
- Bulgaria — $3,900
Top IT Salaries in 2026 by Technology
According to the TIOBE Index, the most popular programming languages in 2025 were Python, C, C++, Java, C#, and JavaScript. The salary range varies depending on specific location, experience, industry, and demand. Eastern Europe, one of the leading IT outsourcing hubs globally, offers wages ~35.71% lower than those in the UK and ~70% lower than those in the USA.
Let’s benchmark the monthly salaries of mid-level specialists in these technologies across the EMEA, North America, Latin America, and APAC regions.
| Country/Technology | Python | C++ | Java | JavaScript | PHP |
| UK | $6,250 | $6,500 | $7,000 | $5,417 | $5,800 |
| Sweden | $6,000 | $6,917 | $6,083 | $6,083 | $6,000 |
| Norway | $6,250 | $7,167 | $6,417 | $6,250 | $6,500 |
| Denmark | $7,000 | $8,500 | $8,000 | $7,800 | $7,000 |
| Netherlands | $6,167 | $6,417 | $7,083 | $6,667 | $6,000 |
| Switzerland | $10,000 | $9,500 | $10,500 | $9,600 | $8,000 |
| Germany | $7,708 | $6,667 | $7,375 | $7,000 | $6,800 |
| Portugal | $4,000 | $4,000 | $3,900 | $4,000 | $4,500 |
| Poland | $3,200 | $3,700 | $4,000 | $3,400 | $4,400 |
| Romania | $3,500 | $3,500 | $3,800 | $2,800 | $4,000 |
| Bulgaria | $3,000 | $2,700 | $3,000 | $2,800 | $3,000 |
| USA | $9,800 | $9,500 | $9,200 | $9,500 | $8,800 |
| Brazil | $2,600 | $2,500 | $2,800 | $2,700 | $2,500 |
| Malaysia | $3,200 | $4,000 | $2,000 | $3,200 | $2,000 |
As seen in the table above, Western Europe and North America boast the highest salaries due to high demand for skilled talent, a high cost of living, and high investment that fosters an ultra‑competitive innovation ecosystem. If you are seeking effective strategies to optimize budgets and enhance hiring efficiency, consider Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Southeast Asia as potential destinations for your hiring needs.
Eastern Europe offers competitive rates and a pool of 1.2 million software engineers proficient in various programming languages, including Python, Java, JavaScript, C#, PHP, and React. A local workforce can also boast high English proficiency and alignment with Western business practices.
Latin America is a top outsourcing destination for the United States due to its geographic and time-zone proximity. The region offers attractive development rates, strong government initiatives for startups, and over 2.2 million engineers ready to join international projects.
Southeast Asia is an emerging tech hub with a rapidly evolving tech ecosystem. The region’s tech specialization and trends involve AI, IoT, fintech, gaming, blockchain, and e-commerce. A local pool of 1.3 million specialists demonstrates proficiency in Python, Java, JavaScript, PHP, and Node.js.
Recommendations for HR Practitioners
Tech salaries in 2026 continue to grow steadily, with the most significant increase observed among specialists with unique skill sets (e.g., Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, cybersecurity, cloud computing, and data science). IT specialists value flexibility, work-life balance, and career advancement alongside their salaries. To stay competitive, attract top-tier talent, and proactively address skill gaps, HR professionals should incorporate several key strategies.
- Build a Strong Brand Identity
To secure first-class specialists, ensure clients and candidates know your company’s culture, values, and unique proposition, ultimately fostering loyalty and trust. Make sure to incorporate the main elements of your brand identity:
- Visual (logos and product design)
- Verbal (brand voice and communication style)
- Streamline Your Hiring Process
A lengthy hiring process can negatively impact both your company’s brand and the candidate experience, ultimately deterring high-quality candidates and prolonging the hiring timeline. Here are some tips to consider.
- Remember that each extra round slows down the process and makes it more tiring. Therefore, keep the process concise.
- Schedule key milestones and establish transparent communication channels to ensure clarity and maintain effective collaboration.
- Craft a comprehensive job description, outlining the role, the primary responsibilities, requirements, and benefits provided to eliminate any misunderstandings.
- Slow feedback turns off prospective specialists, especially those who consider multiple options. To avoid bottlenecks in your talent pipeline, involve stakeholders in the interviews and provide feedback within 48 hours.
- Offer Competitive Salaries
Competitive pay is the second most crucial factor contributing to job satisfaction, according to the Stack Overflow survey. Therefore, when you expand a development team with high-caliber professionals, it’s vital to offer competitive wages.
Startups can’t match Big Tech salaries, but they can offer remote work with flexible working hours, wellness programs, insurance, exciting team-building activities, coaching culture (especially relevant for Millennial and Gen Z professionals), diverse rewards and recognition programs, and exclusive opportunities to work in a dynamic setting.
- Incorporate Benefits to Retain Top Talent
“The way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers,” says Sybil F. Stershic, President of Quality Service Marketing.
Therefore, you should ensure employees feel valued and engaged. To achieve this, offer advanced opportunities to acquire new skills, work with innovative tools, and grow professionally within the organization. Additionally, invest in upskilling your current employees to ensure business continuity and long-term success.
Final Thoughts
Hence, the pay levels of IT workers are expected to grow in the future. Remote software developer hiring trends in 2026 show that software engineers with specialized skills, DevOps specialists, and cybersecurity professionals will receive average salary increases of 22-40% in leading technology clusters. Tech giants tend to favor performance-based compensation and actively encourage remote work, offering great flexibility and a perfect work-life balance.
Organizations seeking to allocate resources wisely should consider hiring talent with niche skills in top outsourcing destinations. Eastern Europe, with its extensive talent pool and specialized markets, remains a global leader in securing top tech talent.
HR professionals focused on workforce planning and a proactive recruitment strategy should clearly articulate the brand’s culture and values, streamline hiring processes, and offer non-monetary benefits alongside competitive compensation. Since ML/AI, cybersecurity, and cloud computing roles command the highest tech salaries, investing in upskilling and retention strategies is a must.
