PHP 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 PHP Engineers job market trends in Latvia, specifically in Riga, reveal a fluctuating landscape with a total of 55 new job openings and 58 closed positions in the last 12 weeks, suggesting recruitment challenges for hiring managers.
Riga is the dominant hub for Software PHP Engineer job opportunities, accounting for 92% of all positions in Latvia, with a total of 2,590 vacancies.
The talent pool for Software PHP Engineers in Latvia is currently not meeting the demand, creating a competitive environment for hiring managers looking to fill these roles.
Mid-Senior level positions represent 48% of available Software PHP roles, indicating a strong demand for experienced professionals alongside emerging talent in the tech sector.
The median time to hire for Software PHP Engineers in Latvia is approximately 33 days, with the most common hiring period spanning from 25 to 30 days, highlighting the need for efficient recruitment strategies.

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

Over the past 12 weeks, the Software PHP Engineer job market in Latvia Riga shows a notable fluctuation in activity, with a total of 55 new openings contrasted with 58 closed positions. The peak was observed in week 21, with 22 new job postings, significantly outpacing the weekly closures, whereas the subsequent weeks have seen a marked decline in both openings and closures. Compared to other European countries, where hiring trends for Software PHP Developers remain relatively stable, Latvia Riga's market seems to experience heightened volatility, indicating recruitment challenges for CTOs and tech leads aiming to fill Software PHP Developer roles.

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 context of the European software development job market, Latvia presents a unique scenario for hiring managers focused on Software PHP Engineers. The ratio of available talent to job openings indicates significant challenges; with a counted talent pool size that does not proportionally meet the rising job openings, it may be challenging to secure highly-skilled developers in Riga. Comparatively, countries like Poland and Germany exhibit a more favorable talent supply, while the Netherlands offers a competitive environment. This suggests that while recruitment strategies for CTOs in Latvia's tech sector must be adaptive, the heightened future demand for Software PHP Engineers in Latvia warrants a proactive approach to talent acquisition.

Seniority distribution of PHP Engineer job openings in Riga

Seniority Distribution of PHP Engineering Jobs in Riga

The seniority distribution of Software PHP Engineering jobs in Riga, Latvia reflects a diverse market. Mid-Senior level positions dominate, comprising 48% of available roles, followed by Entry level positions at 35%. Internship roles account for a smaller fraction at 3%. This distribution indicates a strong demand for both emerging talent and experienced professionals within the Software PHP job market in Latvia.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Latvia

In Latvia, the employment landscape for engineering roles is predominantly characterized by full-time positions, which account for 93% of the job market. This is followed by contract roles, making up 7% of the available opportunities. Part-time positions represent a minimal share at 3%, indicating a strong preference for full-time employment among Software PHP Engineers in Latvia, particularly in Riga.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Latvia

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire distribution for Software PHP Engineers in Latvia reveals critical insights for hiring managers in Riga. The most common hiring time spans from 25 to 30 days, totaling 542 instances, indicating a trend where recruitment processes are typically finalized within this timeframe. Noteworthy is the significant drop in counts beyond 40 days, with only 125 instances recorded for those wait periods. This data suggests that optimizing recruitment strategies to align with the 25 to 30-day frame could enhance the hiring efficiency for Software PHP job market in Latvia, particularly in Riga.

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Most popular cities in Latvia to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Latvia to hire Software Engineers

In the Latvian software job market, Riga stands out as the prominent hub, accounting for 92% of all Software PHP Engineer job openings with a total of 2,590 vacancies. The second-largest contributor is the broader region of Latvia, comprising 8% with 210 openings. Other cities such as Mārupe and Daugavpils hold minimal shares of 1% and less than 1%, respectively, highlighting the capital's dominance in the tech industry.

Most sought after technologies in Riga for PHP

Key technologies for PHP Engineers

The Software PHP Engineer job market trends in Latvia, particularly in Riga, indicate a significant reliance on core technologies that enhance development efficiency and functionality. PHP stands out with a frequency of 5,625, underlining its dominance in the region. Complementing this, JavaScript ranks highly at 2,983, showcasing its use in dynamic web applications. MySQL, with 1,649 uses, remains pivotal for database management in PHP environments. Additionally, foundational technologies such as HTML, CSS, and SQL are critical, with frequencies of 1,342, 1,111, and 1,558 respectively, ensuring that PHP Developers possess a robust skill set to address diverse project needs. A detailed chart illustrating these data points will be available for further insights.

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