Is Serbia really the best nearshoring destination for Netherlands?The Netherlands, just like other EU member states, commonly practice software development nearshoring. Now more than ever before, small and big companies are turning to nearshoring as a way to expand their team, productivity, and capabilities. Software development outsourcing is getting more attention than ever.
Many eastern European countries are well known for having great outsourcing and nearshoring companies. Serbia has been rapidly growing in its tech sector. This is all because of the high-quality technical skills, and a large pool of ambitious software engineers. Serbian companies have been delivering the highest quality software and general digital output.
This relatively sudden emergence of interest in IT and general digital technologies can be attributed to the country’s history. Finally, after many years of economic and political turbulence, Serbia strongly and ambitiously turned to more stable opportunities in the fast-growing software development industry.
Years of investments into IT sector paid off and have put Serbia amongst the best software development countries in the contemporary IT industry. But what are some other concrete reasons that make Serbia the best nearshoring destination for Netherlands?
Governmental support
The Serbian government has been endorsing and expanding the IT industry in Serbia for years. They believe that information technology is the future of the Serbian economy. They have been encouraging and training as many people as possible to work in this sector. This support comes in various ways. From investment and modernization of formal and informal education to IT community support through various IT related manifestations, seminars, and conferences.
It’s really clear to see why has Serbia been emphasizing software development and technical skill sets. Words are being put into action by the Serbian government with supporting policies created to accelerate and evolve its workforce. Not surprisingly, this emphasis on IT has put tech services amongst the top three exports, besides agriculture and automobiles. There is no doubt that the Serbian government will stop this practice any time soon.
Time zones definitely make Serbia the best nearshoring destination for Netherlands
Time zones can sometimes create some issues in communication when it comes to general software development outsourcing. But, with Netherlands and Serbia being in the same time zone, there should be no worries around timing, communication, or inconveniently overlapping shifts. Workday in Serbia starts at the same time as in the Netherlands. This makes Serbia the best nearshoring destination for Netherlands related to geographical location.
Netherlands and Serbia are only around 2 hours apart by flight. Company employees can easily visit their nearshoring partner in a day! Also, Serbia is very well connected with the Netherlands by land. Serbia’s two hottest IT centers are Novi Sad and Belgrade, and they are both located at the Pan-European Corridor X (10).
Quality talent pool
With modernized electrotechnical engineering facilities and FREE HIGHER EDUCATION, it is not surprising that Serbia has got a pretty large talent pool of talented software developers. Yes, higher education in Serbia is free with a predefined amount of students per faculty.
Because of the high demand for technical skill sets, technical and electrotechnical faculties in Serbia have a large number of places available for students. As an example, last year the Faculty of Technical Sciences of Novi Sad Serbia had a whopping number of 2920 submitted applications for Bachelor Studies. Where 1483 of them will be studying for free (paid by the government) and 1201 of them will be self-financing their studies.
And it's not only the government that supports higher education, larger companies invest in universities directly through financial and educational support. All this because they hope that students (future engineers) will opt to work for them in the sea of many IT companies.
Community and work ethics
IT experts and generally people from the IT community are actively involved in their community. They use to try to find modern solutions to various problems in the areas where they live. This is all possible because of the strong IT community. Many different IT workers and enthusiasts from the community always wish to learn more, connect with others, and evolve the Serbian tech sector.
With similar culture and work ethics to Dutch ones, Serbian workers will for sure be able to develop and sustain a quality relationship with clients from the Netherlands. Communication should also not be a worry, since Serbia has a high to very high English proficiency rate. With good language skills, communication is clear and fast.
Cost is important when choosing the best nearshoring destination for Netherlands
Yes, cutting cost is usually the number one reason companies turn to outsourcing or nearshoring. But, always keep it in mind that price should never be more important than the quality of work. Serbia is a great nearshoring for the Netherlands because its developers offer a perfect price-quality ratio. This is because the Serbian economy is still catching up with the world. This results in lower than average price rates.
If your company wishes to nearshore to Serbia, staying in Serbia for a business trip is also relatively cheap! According to lonelyplanet.com, the daily budget needed to stay in Serbia goes from $50 to $120. This depends on whether you want to go for a low-end or high-end experience. Also, the main Serbian airport Nikola Tesla in Belgrade has thousands of flights per month worldwide at affordable prices. There are also regular direct flights from Belgrade to Amsterdam and Eindhoven.
Conclusion
Serbia is already regarded highly in the technical world. And the growth of its IT sector shows no signs of slowing down. Smart investments and great infrastructure support and enhance the growth of the Serbian IT workforce. There is no doubt that Serbia is on a great way to become the best nearshoring country in Europe.
Taking all of these mentioned factors into consideration, there is no wonder whether Serbia is the best nearshoring destination for Netherlands. If you need more information or insight on Serbian ever-growing nearshoring potential, you are at the right place!
Addria is a modern IT consulting firm with years of diverse experience in nearshoring software development in Europe. Our diverse, talented and highly motivated team of employees is more than ready to provide you with quality cooperation on your next project.
Serbia truly is the best nearshoring destination for Netherlands. Our contact page is just one click away!
