Hire Developers in Latvia: A Practical Guide to Nearshoring

The demand for information and communication technology (ICT) specialists in Northern Europe and the Baltic region continues to grow. Companies across Europe and North America hire developers in Lithuania, Estonia, and Latvia without the high costs of Western markets. 

In this article, we’ll discuss the benefits of hiring in Latvia, its tech hubs, popular tech roles within this country, and the salaries of local developers. We’ll also explore cooperation models and offer tips for selecting a reliable IT staffing provider. Let’s start with a brief insight into the Latvian IT sector.  

Latvia is an Emerging Innovator, ranking 25th among EU member states. Its IT sector is expanding steadily, driven by strong local demand, a growing base of tech companies, and significant service exports to major Western markets. With rising international cooperation and consistent industry growth, Latvia continues to strengthen its position as a competitive hub for software development and digital services.

The workforce exceeds 40,000 tech experts, creating a deep talent pool of professionals skilled in modern programming languages such as Python, JavaScript, Java, C#, and others. High demand for ICT roles (4.0%) and above-average cloud adoption compared to much of the EU demonstrate the maturity of the local digital environment.

Below are the key factors shaping Latvia’s appeal in today’s tech landscape.

High Digital Competitiveness

Latvia shows solid digital competitiveness, with strong foundations in tech knowledge, supportive conditions for digital innovation, and above-average readiness for future transformation. These strengths create an environment where businesses can work seamlessly with developers to build digital products.

Significant Government Investments 

Latvia continues strengthening its digital foundation through steady investment. Cloud adoption now reaches 75.2% of the EU average, and ICT specialist employment stands at 97.4%, signaling a mature, expanding talent pool. For businesses, this creates a supportive environment for launching and scaling modern, technology-driven initiatives.

Vibrant Startup Ecosystem

Latvia’s startup scene is steadily expanding, supported by growing investment, a collaborative tech community, and government-backed digital initiatives. With solid global and European rankings and notable strength in Hardware and IoT, the country provides a supportive environment for early-stage companies to build, test, and scale innovative products.

Professional Tech Talent

Latvia maintains a strong pipeline of ICT specialists, with more than 30% of STEM students choosing tech-focused programs. Government initiatives continue to expand this talent pool, strengthening the country’s ability to supply skilled developers for both local and international projects.

Together, these strengths create a supportive environment for international companies considering hiring developers or software development outsourcing in Latvia. 

Now, let’s explore the main advantages of nearshoring to Latvia. 

Why Hire Developers in Latvia: Key Benefits 

Here’s why businesses hire Latvian developers to build new products, upgrade existing systems, and accelerate delivery. 

Reasonable Cost-to-Quality Ratio

The country ranks 42nd of 98 countries globally and 24th of 39 countries in Europe in average monthly net salary, so the remuneration expenses are significantly lower than in Western Europe. So companies can hire developers Latvia, saving up to 50% of development costs and without sacrificing quality. 

Favorable Time Zone

Latvia’s time zone aligns well with most European countries. US-based teams will also have several hours of real-time collaboration each day. This overlap reduces delays, speeds up decisions, and makes remote cooperation feel natural, especially for companies seeking smooth communication without late-night or early-morning calls.

English Fluency and Multilinguality

Latvia’s global ranking in English proficiency is 16th out of 123 countries and regions, so teams from North America will be able to communicate seamlessly with their Latvian colleagues. Additionally, Latvian tech experts often speak German, making them attractive to many European businesses.   

Western Approach to Work 

Latvia developers for hire share a work style familiar to Western European companies. It assumes clear communication, structured processes, and a strong sense of accountability. Their direct, solution-oriented mindset helps reduce misunderstandings, align expectations quickly, and maintain steady progress throughout long-term projects.

Top Tech Hubs in Latvia

Latvia hosts several rapidly growing IT hubs that bring together skilled engineers, innovative startups, and global tech companies. Each region offers unique strengths for hiring and scaling development teams.

Riga

Being 15th in Eastern Europe and 195th globally (out of 1,450+ cities) with Gaming as the top industry (#92 globally), Riga is Latvia’s primary tech hub. It’s home to thousands of software developers, IT companies, and innovation centers. 
With strong university pipelines, active startup communities, and many global firms operating locally, Riga offers businesses reliable access to talent, modern infrastructure, and a mature environment for building and scaling development teams. You can hire developers in Riga at an average annual cost of $28K-$42K. 

Daugavpils

An emerging tech hub offering access to motivated developers, growing IT service companies, and lower operating costs than Riga. With several universities and vocational programs feeding the local talent pool, it’s an appealing destination for businesses seeking focused engineering teams, quieter operational environments, and long-term collaboration potential outside the capital.

Liepāja

A growing tech hub supported by a strong educational base, including Liepāja University and a branch of Riga Technical University that supply skilled IT graduates. With a population of around 67,000 and lower operating costs than Riga, the city offers companies affordable access to tech talent for long-term collaboration.

Jelgava

This city, located 42 km southwest of Riga, has about 55,000 residents and hosts the Latvian University of Life Sciences and Technologies, which supplies engineering and IT graduates. Its proximity to the capital, its connected infrastructure, and its regional talent base make it a promising location for stable, cost-effective nearshore development teams.

Jūrmala

It’s a coastal city near the capital with ~55,000 residents and easy access to Riga. Its closeness to the capital and comfortable living conditions make it a viable location for remote or nearshore teams seeking a balance between lifestyle and engineering work. 

Latvia’s tech hubs offer distinct strengths, giving companies multiple strategic locations to build reliable development teams.

Average annual salary of a software developer in Riga
$28,000 – $42,000

In-Demand Tech Roles in Latvia

According to public talent reports, hiring trends across Baltic tech hubs, and the specialization of companies operating in Latvia, the following tech roles are consistently in demand in Latvia.

Java Developers

Having a strong base in the fintech, banking, and GovTech sectors, international companies continuously hire backend engineers skilled in Java. With top-tier Latvian developers, businesses maintain and modernize large platforms, integrate cloud services, and build scalable backends for high-traffic financial products and public digital services.

Frontend Engineers (React, Angular, Vue)

With many Latvian software development companies scaling globally, businesses seek engineers skilled in React or Angular to build fast, user-focused interfaces. These experts help clients improve conversion flows, support multi-platform experiences, and collaborate closely with design teams.

DevOps & Cloud Specialists

Latvia ranks high in digital adoption and cloud usage, so there’s a high demand for DevOps engineers who build stable pipelines and maintain cloud infrastructure. They support CI/CD automation, monitoring, container orchestration, and help companies migrate from on-premise systems to AWS, Azure, or GCP while ensuring uptime, performance, and security.

QA Automation Engineers

Latvia’s strong outsourcing and outstaffing market increases demand for automation-focused QA specialists. Companies hire Latvian developers who can design scalable test frameworks, reduce manual workloads, improve product reliability, and keep development cycles fast by integrating continuous testing directly into CI/CD pipelines.

Python Developers

Businesses across fintech, e-commerce, and analytics hire contractors in Latvia with Python expertise to power data-driven products. Skilled data engineers set up reliable data pipelines, optimize ETL flows, and support machine learning workloads. They ensure product teams have accurate, structured data for reporting, personalization, and decision-making.

Expertise of Latvian Developers

• Mobile application development
• Website development
• Database development
• eCommerce websites
• Web-based applications
• Gaming and entertainment apps

Salaries of Popular Software Developers in Latvia

Below is an overview of popular Latvian developers rate, which will help you estimate hiring budgets more accurately.

Source: glassdoor.com

Latvian developer salaries remain significantly lower than in Western Europe and the US, making the country attractive for cost-efficient nearshoring. Despite the moderate rates, Latvia offers strong engineering quality across backend, frontend, DevOps, QA, and Data Engineering roles. So if you hire developers in Eastern Europe, you can cut your costs by up to half.

Formats of Collaboration With Latvian Developers 

When you hire in Latvia, you can choose from several collaboration models depending on how much control you want over the team and delivery. 

These options fall into two main categories: outsourcing, where the vendor manages execution, and staffing, where developers integrate directly into your workflows. Understanding both helps you select the setup that fits your product, timeline, and internal capacity.

Outsourcing Models

With these two models, you delegate full delivery responsibility to your partner.

1. Project-Based Delivery 

In a project-based model, you hand over a defined scope to a nearshore vendor who handles architecture, development, QA, and delivery. It’s a structured, hands-off format in which timelines, milestones, and outcomes are agreed upon up front. This format is ideal when you want predictable results without managing day-to-day engineering work.

2. Managed Services 

With managed delivery, the vendor takes long-term responsibility for the entire development process, including team setup, workflows, quality standards, and release cadence. You stay focused on product decisions while the partner ensures execution runs smoothly. This model suits companies that need continuous development but lack the internal capacity to manage a full engineering function.

IT Staffing Models

Staffing models let you keep full control over development while integrating Latvian engineers into your workflows. 

Dedicated Development Team

Dedicated development teams become an extension of your in-house staff, working exclusively on your product under your direction. You control priorities, roadmap, and communication, while the provider handles recruitment, HR, and retention. This model suits long-term development, continuous feature delivery, and companies seeking a stable, scalable remote engineering unit.

Staff Augmentation 

Staff augmentation adds individual Latvian developers to your existing team to close skill gaps or boost capacity quickly. You manage their tasks as part of your daily workflow, while the provider covers contracts, payroll, and support. It’s ideal for short-term spikes, adding niche expertise, or strengthening your team without permanent hiring.

Choosing the Right Tech Talent Provider in Latvia

While potential outsourcing and outstaffing partners require careful evaluation, choosing a tech talent provider is often more complex. Unlike outsourcing, where success is measured by delivered outcomes, tech staffing depends on long-term developer fit, communication quality, and team stability. That’s why we’ll focus on the steps to select the right staffing partner in Latvia.

Step 1: Define Your Needs

Clarify your tech stack, team structure, and timeframe. Consider whether you need full-time engineers, niche specialists for a short-term project, or flexible hourly support. These requirements help you accurately compare providers and ensure they can source developers who align with your expectations.

Step 2: Review Provider’s Expertise 

Evaluate the provider’s experience with hiring devs for your technologies and business domain. Ask how they assess technical skills, cultural fit, and communication habits. A trustworthy partner can show recent placements, typical developer profiles, and examples of roles they’ve successfully filled for similar companies.

Step 3: Validate Legal and Operational Reliability

Check whether your potential partner follows EU-compliant hiring processes, offers clear NDAs and SLAs, and protects your intellectual property. Ensure they handle contracts, payroll, HR, and developer care. Strong operational reliability reduces risk and lets you focus on product delivery instead of administrative tasks.

Step 4: Evaluate Retention and Long-Term Support

Reliable providers keep engineers motivated through structured feedback, professional development, and ongoing team care. Ask how they prevent turnover and support developers throughout long-term engagements. Stable teams lead to deeper product knowledge, faster delivery, and consistent progress without interruptions or repeated onboarding.

Why Mobilunity Is a Reliable Talent Acquisition Partner 

For over a decade, Mobilunity has been providing dedicated development teams and individual tech experts in Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia. 

Here are the reasons why businesses trust us to hire software developers.

15+ Years in Tech Hiring

With over fifteen years in global tech recruitment, Mobilunity has developed mature processes, deep market insight, and a refined understanding of how to match businesses with engineers who fit their product needs, culture, and long-term goals.

40+ Active Customers in 15 Countries

Mobilunity supports more than 40 ongoing clients across 15 countries, demonstrating its ability to deliver reliable, long-term engineering partnerships for startups, SMBs, and enterprises with diverse technical stacks and operational requirements.

150+ Successfully Assembled Teams in 20+ Countries

Having built over 150 engineering teams worldwide, Mobilunity understands how to create stable, well-structured work environments where developers stay motivated, productive, and aligned with each client’s delivery standards.

3–6 Weeks to Find and Hire Developers

Our recruitment pipelines allow companies to hire qualified developers within 3 to 6 weeks. Rapid sourcing, clear screening procedures, and strong local talent networks help clients scale teams without slowing down their product roadmap.

30–50% Lower Development Costs

By hiring through Mobilunity, businesses reduce development expenses by 30–50% while keeping quality high. Clients gain access to skilled engineers at competitive nearshore rates without compromising delivery standards, stability, or expertise.

360° Back-Office Support

Mobilunity handles contracts, payroll, HR operations, legal compliance, retention, and IT help desk support. This full-circle assistance ensures smooth cooperation, freeing clients from administrative work and letting them focus solely on product development and team performance.

2–3 Interviews to Close a Vacancy

Clients typically fill roles after just two to three interviews because Mobilunity provides carefully pre-screened candidates. The shortlist includes engineers who meet both the technical requirements and the client’s team’s working style.

4.2+ Years of Average Client Partnership

Most Mobilunity clients stay for more than four years, reflecting strong retention, stable engineering teams, and consistent delivery quality. Long-term cooperation allows businesses to grow with developers who deeply understand their product and direction.

Mobilunity Collaboration Models

Dedicated Development Teams 

When you hire dedicated developers Latvia, they become a long-term extension of your engineering department, working on your product full-time and adhering to your processes, tools, and priorities. You retain full control over delivery, while we manage recruitment, HR, contracts, and retention to ensure your team stability and consistent performance.

FLEX, On-Demand Developers

FLEX developers offer part-time or short-term support when your workload spikes or you need specific expertise quickly. This model lets you scale resources in Latvia without long-term commitments while accessing pre-vetted engineers who integrate smoothly into your workflow and support ongoing progress.

Tech Recruiting 

Mobilunity’s IT recruitment in Latvia provides end-to-end hiring support to companies looking to hire software engineers in this country. We source, screen, and help you assess local candidates to select only those who match your technical requirements and culture. You receive full recruiting assistance without managing a full internal hiring pipeline.

Hire developers in other Countries

Expand your team’s capabilities by accessing a vast international pool of skilled developers. Harness the varied perspectives and specialized knowledge they offer to fuel innovation and propel your technology projects forward.

Lithuania

Australia

Ireland

Pakistan

Thailand

Final Words

Latvia stands out as a reliable nearshore destination for companies seeking skilled developers, competitive rates, and smooth collaboration within the EU framework. With strong technical education, a growing digital economy, and a business-friendly time zone, the country offers a practical mix of engineering quality, effective collaboration, and cost-efficient team scaling. 

By understanding Latvia’s tech landscape and choosing the right cooperation model, businesses can build stable, long-term engineering teams that support steady product growth.

FAQ

Written by:

Anastasia Stefanuk

Market Researcher

Disclaimer: All salaries and prices mentioned within the article are approximate numbers based on the research done by our in-house Marketing Research Team. Please use these numbers as a reference for comparison only. Feel free to use the contact form to inquire on the specific cost of the talent according to your vacancy requirements and chosen model of engagement.