Software Developer Hiring Trends in Riga, Latvia

This report was last updated on Aug 17, 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 Engineers job market trends in Latvia, especially in Riga, reflect a dynamic landscape characterized by significant fluctuations in job openings, with peaks and declines observed over recent months.
In the last 12 weeks, the number of software engineering positions peaked at 165 openings and displayed a closing trend that outpaced new postings, creating challenges for hiring managers seeking to fill roles.
Riga dominates the software job market in Latvia, representing 92% of all available positions, with 2,590 vacancies, while other regions like Mārupe and Daugavpils provide limited opportunities.
The prevailing demand indicates a strong preference for full-time roles, which comprise 93% of the software engineer positions offered, highlighting a critical consideration for recruiters and hiring managers.
With a median time to hire of 34 days, recruitment strategies must be agile and responsive to secure top talent in Riga's competitive software engineering landscape.

Number of roles opened and closed for Software Engineers in Riga in the last 3 months

The Software Engineers job market trends in Latvia Riga show a fluctuating landscape over the past 12 weeks. A notable peak occurred in week 21 with 165 new roles posted, followed by a decline to 41 openings in week 25. Over the same period, the closure of Software Developer positions notably outpaced openings, as evidenced by the maximum of 137 jobs closed in week 24, contrasting with a mere 62 new postings in week 22. When compared to other roles in Latvia, the demand for Software Engineers remains robust, yet reflects a volatile hiring pattern, distinguishing it from the consistent trends observed in other European countries’ tech sectors. Hiring managers and CTOs must adapt recruitment strategies in light of these dynamics to effectively navigate the Software job market in Latvia Riga.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Latvia:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	90
EPAM Systems	United States	Information Technology & Services	1993	90
Paula Stradiņa Klīniskā universitātes slimnīca	Latvia	Hospital & Health Care	1910	29
Luminor Group	Estonia	Banking	2017	26
Bērnu klīniskā universitātes slimnīca / Children's Clinical University Hospital	Latvia	Hospital & Health Care	1899	23
Ruby Labs	United States	Information Technology & Services	2018	17
Aerones	Latvia	Renewables & Environment	2018	17
Ubiquiti Inc.	United States	Information Technology & Services	2005	16
TSMG Holding	Poland	Outsourcing/offshoring	2018	15
Rīgas satiksme	Latvia	Transportation/trucking/railroad	2003	14

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in Latvia

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in Latvia

In the European software engineers job market, Latvia presents a unique scenario for hiring managers. With a strong ratio of 3.5 talent pool to job openings, Latvia ranks favorably compared to countries like Hungary (2.0) and Bulgaria (2.5), indicating a relatively healthy availability of talent. However, this ratio suggests it may still pose challenges in filling positions compared to countries such as Poland (4.0), where talent is more abundant. Therefore, while the hiring landscape for software engineers in Latvia is competitive, it is essential for CTOs and recruiters to implement innovative recruitment strategies to attract top software engineering talent in Riga.

Seniority distribution of Software Engineer job openings in Riga

Seniority Distribution of Software Engineering Jobs in Riga

In the Software Engineers job market trends in Latvia Riga, the seniority distribution reveals a strong demand for Mid-Senior level professionals, comprising approximately 45% of available positions. Entry level roles account for about 37%, indicating a healthy influx of new talent into the market. Additionally, Associate level positions represent approximately 4%, highlighting a more specialized layer in the workforce. Understanding these trends is crucial for recruitment strategies for CTOs in Latvia Riga's tech sector.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Latvia

In the Latvian software engineering job market, the employment type distribution reveals that full-time positions dominate, accounting for 93% of the roles. Following this, contract roles comprise 6%, while part-time positions represent 1%. This data underscores the strong preference for full-time employment among Software Engineers in Latvia, particularly in Riga, which is crucial information for hiring managers and recruiters aiming to align their recruitment strategies with current market trends.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Latvia

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire distribution for software jobs in Latvia indicates a competitive landscape, with a significant majority of positions taking between 25 to 35 days to fill. Specifically, 257 roles were filled in 25 days, while 285 reached a deadline in 30 days, signaling a robust demand for software engineers. Hiring managers should note a gradual decline in the number of hires as the time to hire increases, with only 8 positions filled at the 100-day mark. This trend reflects the urgency in recruitment strategies CTOs and engineering leaders must adopt to secure top software talent in Latvia's dynamic job market, particularly in Riga, where opportunities for Software Developers are abundant.

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Most popular cities in Latvia to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Latvia to hire Software Engineers

In Latvia, the software engineering job market is predominantly concentrated in Riga, which boasts 92% of the total job openings, with 2,590 positions available. Following Riga, the overall job distribution includes 8% of openings across the entire country, totaling 210 positions. While remote roles account for only 3% of the job market with 67 listings, the city of Mārupe and Daugavpils offer limited opportunities, hosting 1% and less than 1% respectively.

Most sought after technologies in Riga for Software

Key technologies for Software Engineers

In the competitive software job market in Latvia, particularly in Riga, certain technologies emerge as the most sought-after by employers. Java and Python lead as the two most in-demand programming languages, with frequencies of 10,261 and 6,571, respectively. Following closely are JavaScript and React, crucial for front-end development, each playing significant roles in modern software solutions. Additionally, PHP and SQL are frequently used, indicating ongoing demand for back-end development expertise. For a visual representation of these trends, please refer to the accompanying chart.

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