PHP Developer Hiring Trends in Croatia

This report was last updated on Aug 16, 2025

Bence Gedai

Founder

I analyze live hiring data and tech job trends across Europe to give CTOs and Product Leaders a strategic edge. By tracking tens of thousands of open roles each week, I uncover which skills, roles, and locations are in highest demand — potential competitors, typical time to hire, talent pool sizes, and more to help you prioritize hiring, benchmark and stay competitive in a fast-moving market.

Key learnings from this report

The Software PHP job market in Croatia has experienced a competitive landscape, with a total of 1,200 job openings and a talent pool of 3,600, resulting in a jobs-to-talent pool ratio of 3:1.
Over the past twelve weeks, job postings for Software PHP Engineers peaked at 72 openings in week 21, while an average of 17 positions closed weekly, indicating a continuing future demand for Software PHP Engineers in Croatia.
Significant hiring activity is concentrated among key players in the tech sector, with top companies including Canonical, EPAM Systems, and GlobalLogic leading the way in recruiting Software PHP Engineers.
Zagreb dominates as the primary tech hub in Croatia, accounting for 86% of Software Engineer job openings, followed by Split at 4% and Osijek at 3%. This urban concentration provides insights into regional hiring trends for CTOs targeting Software PHP Developer opportunities.
The median time to hire for Software PHP Engineers in Croatia stands at 33 days, with most positions filled within 30 days, emphasizing the need for hiring managers to adopt efficient recruitment strategies to attract the right talent swiftly.

Number of roles opened and closed for PHP Engineers in Croatia in the last 3 months

Over the past twelve weeks, the Software PHP job market in Croatia displayed considerable fluctuations, with job postings peaking at 72 openings in week 21. Comparatively, the average number of jobs closed weekly reached 17, indicating a competitive landscape where demand often outstrips supply. This pattern suggests a future demand for Software PHP Engineers will likely persist, aligning with broader trends in Europe. For hiring managers, understanding these dynamics is crucial for implementing effective recruitment strategies, especially when targeting Senior Software PHP Developer opportunities in today's tech sector.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Croatia:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	113
EPAM Systems	United States	Information Technology & Services	1993	26
GlobalLogic	United States	Information Technology & Services	2000	23
ENT - Ericsson Nikola Tesla	Croatia	Information Technology & Services	null	19
EY	United Kingdom	Professional Training & Coaching	1989	10
Abysalto	null	null	null	10
Endava	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2000	9
Bugatti Rimac	Croatia	Automotive	null	9
Q agency	Croatia	Information Technology & Services	2013	9
IBM iX DACH	Germany	Management Consulting	2015	8

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in Croatia

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in Croatia

The software development job market in Europe presents varying degrees of hiring challenges across different countries. In Croatia, the ratio of talent pool size to job openings reveals a significant demand for Software PHP Engineers, suggesting a competitive landscape for hiring. With 1,200 job openings and a talent pool of 3,600, the jobs-to-talent pool ratio stands at 3:1, indicating moderate difficulty in sourcing skilled professionals. In contrast, countries such as Poland and Hungary showcase ratios of 5:1 and 6:1, respectively, suggesting slightly easier recruitment scenarios. However, in the Netherlands, the larger talent pool paired with fewer openings (10,000 job openings versus 50,000 available developers) results in a favorable hiring environment. This comparative analysis underscores the necessity for tailored recruitment strategies for CTOs in Croatia's tech sector, as organizations may face increased competition for top talent within the Software PHP Developer space.

Seniority distribution of PHP Engineer job openings in Croatia

Seniority Distribution of PHP Engineering Jobs in Croatia

In the Croatian software PHP engineering job market, the seniority distribution reveals that 40% of available positions are for Entry level roles, followed closely by 36% for Mid-Senior level positions. Internship opportunities account for 5% of the market. This distribution underscores the significant demand for both junior and mid-level PHP developers, indicating a strategy that hiring managers should prioritize when attracting talent.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Croatia

In Croatia's software development landscape, the employment type distribution for engineering roles reveals a significant preference for full-time positions, accounting for 99% of job openings. Meanwhile, contract roles represent 1% of the market, followed by part-time positions at 0%. This data underlines the robust demand for Software PHP Engineers and highlights the focus on stable, long-term employment in the Croatian tech sector.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Croatia

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire for Software PHP Engineers in Croatia exhibits a notable distribution pattern that hiring managers should consider. A majority of candidates, approximately 294 positions, are filled within a 30-day timeframe, demonstrating a swift recruitment process in this segment. Further analysis reveals that hiring times extend gradually, with 218 candidates hired within 25 days and 121 within 15 days, indicating a trend towards quicker placements. However, the data also highlights that hiring processes can extend beyond 60 days for some roles, as seen with 85 candidates taking 60 days, suggesting that recruitment strategies may need to adapt accordingly. Understanding these hiring timelines is essential for CTOs and engineering managers looking to position their teams effectively within Croatia's competitive software job market.

Expolore reports from other European Developer talent pools

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The Software C++ job market in Sweden, particularly in Stockholm, has experienced notable fluctuations in job openings over the last 12 weeks, with a peak of 16 new positions posted during week 23, followed by an average of 3 jobs per week by week 32.

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Insights for hiring PHP Engineers in Poland

The Software PHP Engineer job market in Poland is exhibiting notable fluctuations, with a peak of 188 new positions in week 21, but also a low of just 10 postings in week 25, indicating volatile demand for Software PHP Developers.

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Insights for hiring Rust Engineers in Vilnius

The Software Rust Engineers job market in Lithuania, particularly in Vilnius, is currently experiencing a net decrease in available roles, with 12 new positions opened against 40 closures over the past 12 weeks. This trend underscores the challenges in retaining Software Rust talent and suggests an adjustment in recruitment strategies may be necessary for hiring managers.

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Most popular cities in Croatia to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Croatia to hire Software Engineers

In Croatia, the distribution of Software Engineer job openings reveals a significant concentration in major urban areas. Specifically, Zagreb leads the market with 86% of the total openings, demonstrating its status as a tech hub in the country. Following Zagreb, Split accounts for 4% and Osijek contributes 3%, indicating that while Zagreb dominates, there are emerging opportunities in other regions as well. Please refer to the accompanying chart for a detailed overview of this data.

Most sought after technologies in Croatia for PHP

Key technologies for PHP Engineers

The job market for Software PHP Engineers in Croatia is significantly shaped by the prominence of several core technologies. PHP itself stands as the leading language, evidenced by its frequency of usage at 5,625 instances. This is followed by JavaScript, which is critical for front-end development, appearing 2,983 times. Additionally, MySQL, essential for database management, holds a substantial presence with 1,649 occurrences. The popularity of Laravel and Symfony frameworks indicates a strong inclination towards robust PHP applications, with frequencies of 1,168 and 1,001 respectively. The accompanying chart provides a visual representation of these prevalent technologies, highlighting their relevance in the Croatian tech sector.

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