For American businesses finding it increasingly difficult to recruit specialized technology professionals at affordable rates, an alternative may already be taking shape across Europe. By combining domestic management with experienced developers from Central and Eastern Europe, companies are creating international technology teams that provide another option beyond conventional outsourcing.
The need for this approach is becoming more apparent as demand for technical professionals continues to increase. The Bureau of Labor Statistics, (BLS) forecasts 10% growth in software developer employment between 2025 and 2035. With the median annual salary for U.S. software developers reaching $135,980 in May 2025, excluding benefits and recruitment expenses, employers are under increasing pressure to secure qualified talent while keeping budgets manageable.
Nevertheless, recruiting across borders comes with its own considerations. Businesses that select international partners based mainly on pricing may encounter unsuitable technical candidates, communication barriers, and costly hiring mistakes. Entering an unfamiliar market successfully requires more than simply finding available developers. Companies need to understand technical expectations, professional cultures, and the factors that allow international teams to work effectively together.
Rebeka van der Heiden, founder of Peoply.tech, a technology recruitment company headquartered in Slovakia, has built a business connecting Central European developers with organizations across Western Europe, particularly in the Netherlands and the UK. She is now looking to bring this recruitment model to the U.S. market. Before establishing Peoply, van der Heiden worked in IT project management, where she experienced how limited knowledge of technical positions could result in unsuitable recruitment decisions. This experience influenced her business philosophy, placing greater emphasis on technical understanding, open pricing, and finding the right candidates rather than focusing on placement volume.
Peoply’s recruitment process starts with gaining a clear picture of each client’s business, development projects, technical needs, and workplace environment. Candidates take part in detailed interviews covering their previous assignments and professional experience, followed by technical evaluations arranged in collaboration with the client and assessed by its engineering team. While Peoply’s recruiters do not have engineering backgrounds, they receive technical training that helps them better understand candidate experience and recognize possible mismatches. Van der Heiden also believes the growing adoption of artificial intelligence in recruitment makes human interaction increasingly important. As she explains, the industry’s use of AI reinforces the need to maintain personal communication and a human approach throughout the hiring process.
During the company’s first four years, van der Heiden reports that only two placements have ended unsuccessfully because of cultural compatibility. She believes successful recruitment involves looking beyond professional qualifications and considering how individuals communicate, interact, and fit into an existing team. In her view, matching working styles and personalities alongside technical abilities is essential to creating lasting professional relationships.
Peoply also places importance on making recruitment costs easier for clients to understand. Developers are allowed to determine their own hourly rates, acknowledging that individual experience and personal circumstances can influence compensation without necessarily reflecting technical ability. Clients receive visibility into the pricing structure, helping them evaluate recruitment options more confidently. Van der Heiden maintains that a professional’s requested rate should not determine how their skills are judged. Every candidate is assessed on their technical capabilities, regardless of the compensation they request.
The potential cost savings are another reason businesses are considering this recruitment approach. According to Peoply’s hiring guide, clients save an average of 40% on developer expenses compared with hiring professionals of equivalent experience in the Netherlands.
One example featured in the guide compares a senior engineer recruited through Peoply, costing less than €62 per hour including the company’s fee, with a comparable Dutch-based professional costing approximately €109 per hour after employer expenses. For van der Heiden, however, the benefit goes beyond reducing recruitment costs. The objective is to help businesses secure capable developers at competitive rates while maintaining technical standards and compatibility with their existing teams.
Central Europe’s advantages are not limited to its competitive employment costs. The region has a well-established technical education system, with universities developing graduates who participate in international computer science and programming competitions. The International Olympiad in Informatics all-time standings, for example, place Poland fifth and Slovakia eleventh. Van der Heiden also highlights the professional working environment she has experienced among developers in the region, particularly their willingness to communicate openly and contribute ideas. She believes professionals who feel comfortable challenging technical decisions and recommending improvements can help organizations avoid misunderstandings and strengthen collaboration within international teams.
A number of van der Heiden’s European clients have already adopted this recruitment model. They continue to manage their businesses and maintain strategic leadership in their home countries while bringing Central European developers into their established technology departments.
Peoply provides additional assistance beyond candidate recruitment, including contract management and administrative support to help clients deal with local requirements. This arrangement allows businesses to start with individual contractors without immediately creating a local legal entity. As their operations develop, they can explore establishing a more permanent presence in the region. Van der Heiden believes this structure could also appeal to American businesses interested in developing technology operations in Central Europe.
For some of Peoply’s clients, international hiring has developed from an occasional recruitment solution into a longer-term approach to building technology teams. Rather than focusing exclusively on filling individual positions, businesses are increasingly incorporating Central European professionals into their ongoing development operations. Van der Heiden identifies more efficient recruitment, improved talent retention, and less dependence on domestic contractors among the benefits reported by clients. These experiences illustrate how international recruitment can support a wider workforce strategy when businesses focus on building lasting professional relationships.
Central Europe provides American technology companies with an opportunity to explore a different approach to developing their engineering teams. Van der Heiden believes that successful international recruitment depends on recognizing the people, technical expertise, and working relationships behind the advertised rates. Instead of viewing overseas recruitment simply as a way to reduce hiring expenses, businesses can consider it a strategic investment in developing more flexible, capable, and sustainable technology teams.
