PHP Developer Hiring Trends in Bucharest, Romania

This report was last updated on Sep 7, 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 in Romania Bucharest presents a dynamic landscape, with 1,500 job openings currently available against a talent pool of 15,000, indicating a healthy job-to-talent ratio of 10.
Bucharest dominates the Software PHP job market, accounting for 78% of all relevant job openings, while emerging cities like Cluj-Napoca, Timişoara, and Iaşi represent smaller but significant shares.
Mid-Senior level positions prevail in the distribution of PHP Engineering jobs, comprising 56% of available roles, which highlights a strong demand for experienced talent and a potential hiring challenge for CTOs and Engineering Managers.
The Software PHP Engineer hiring trends indicate that recruitment strategies should focus on full-time employment, which dominates 96% of the market, ensuring alignment with candidate preferences.
Recent fluctuations in job postings for Software PHP Engineers reveal a concerning pattern, with a peak of 23 new jobs posted in week 24, subsequently declining to 6 by week 35, necessitating strategic recruitment efforts to attract top talent.

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

The Software PHP Engineers job market in Romania Bucharest has shown varying activity over the last 12 weeks, with a notable total of 23 new jobs posted in week 24. However, this trend fluctuated, highlighting a significant decrease in new postings to just 6 by week 35. Concurrently, the number of jobs closed has remained relatively high, reaching its peak at 32 closures in week 25, which presents a concerning hiring dynamic for tech leads and recruiters. Compared to other tech roles in Bucharest and across Europe, the software PHP job market has exhibited a considerable imbalance, indicating a pressing need for strategic recruitment efforts by CTOs and hiring managers to attract and retain talent.

Who else is hiring for software Engineers in Romania:

Company name	Country	Industry	Founded	# Job openings
Canonical	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2004	137
Undelucram.ro	Romania	Human Resources	2011	119
NTT DATA Europe & Latam	Spain	Information Technology & Services	1967	107
Hipo.ro	Romania	Professional Services	2006	104
Luxoft	Switzerland	Information Technology & Services	2000	84
Endava	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	2000	64
Deutsche Bank	Germany	Financial Services	1870	53
IBM	United States	Information Technology & Services	1911	41
VOIS	United Kingdom	Information Technology & Services	1984	40
Microsoft	United States	Information Technology & Services	1975	37

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Talent pool vs job openings for Software Engineers in Romania

How competitive it is to hire Software Engineers in Romania

The Software PHP Engineer job market in Romania, particularly in Bucharest, presents a competitive landscape for hiring managers, with notable job openings compared to the available talent pool. Currently, Romania boasts a healthy ratio of talent, with 1,500 job openings against a talent pool of 15,000, resulting in a jobs-to-talent pool ratio of 10. In comparison, countries like Poland, with 3,500 openings and 32,000 talent, and Germany, hosting 5,000 openings and 50,000 talent, highlight a trend where Poland has a job-to-talent ratio of 9.14, while Germany's ratio stands at 10. Conversely, in Hungary, the market is tight, with only 1,000 job openings against 8,000 available talents, yielding a ratio of 8. These figures indicate that while it is relatively easier to hire in Romania compared to Hungary, the competition remains significant, necessitating refined recruitment strategies for CTOs and engineering managers in Bucharest's tech sector.

Seniority distribution of PHP Engineer job openings in Bucharest

Seniority Distribution of PHP Engineering Jobs in Bucharest

In the competitive Software PHP Engineers job market in Romania, particularly in Bucharest, the distribution of seniority levels reveals significant insights for hiring managers. Mid-Senior level positions dominate with 56% of available jobs, followed by Entry level roles at 22% and Internship opportunities making up 4%. This distribution highlights the strong demand for experienced PHP developers, indicating a potential challenge for CTOs and Engineering Managers aiming to fill higher seniority roles within their teams.

Preferred employment type for Engineering roles in Romania

The employment type distribution for engineering roles in Romania highlights a clear preference for full-time positions, which comprise 96% of the job market. Contract roles follow at 4%, while part-time positions account for a mere 2%. This distribution underscores the importance of focusing recruitment strategies on full-time Software PHP Engineer positions as they dominate the landscape.

Time to Hire Distribution for Software in Romania

How long does it take to hire Software Engineers

The time to hire distribution for Software PHP Engineers in Romania showcases significant variability that hiring managers should consider. A majority of candidates, approximately 1306, are onboarded within 30 days, indicating a competitive market with potential quick placements. However, the distribution reveals that only 10 candidates were hired immediately, emphasizing the need for effective recruitment strategies. As the hiring timeline extends, the numbers decline, with only 36 candidates hired after 100 days. This trend suggests that CTOs and recruiters in Bucharest's tech sector must be prepared for a dynamic hiring environment, where swift engagement can capture top talent sooner.

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Most popular cities in Romania to hire Software Engineers

Top 5 cities in Romania to hire Software Engineers

The job market for Software PHP Engineers in Romania is predominantly centered in Bucharest, which accounts for a significant 78% of all relevant job openings. Cluj-Napoca follows at 13%, demonstrating its emerging role in the tech sector, while Timişoara and Iaşi represent 4% and 3% respectively. This data underscores the importance of Bucharest as the leading hub for Software PHP job market trends in Romania.

Most sought after technologies in Bucharest for PHP

Key technologies for PHP Engineers

In the dynamic landscape of the Software PHP Engineer job market in Romania and Bucharest, certain technologies stand out significantly. PHP remains the most prevalent with a frequency of 6,396, demonstrating its foundational role in software development. Additionally, JavaScript, with a frequency of 3,423, plays a crucial role in full-stack development. Notably, MySQL follows closely at 1,874, essential for database management. Complementary to these, Laravel and Symfony, with frequencies of 1,344 and 1,122 respectively, highlight emerging frameworks that enhance PHP development. This data is visualized in the accompanying chart, providing further insights into technology preferences among Software PHP Engineers in Romania.

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