Team Extension in Europe: Overview

As of the beginning of 2022, the shortage of tech talent has reached almost a million open tech positions worldwide. Most businesses are struggling to hire IT specialists for months. US and UK companies are looking for new labor markets in a bid to solve this issue. And this is when Europe gets the spotlight. This article provides an overview of team extension services in Europe. We will take a detailed look at:

• The essence of a team extension model;
• Availability of the tech talent;
• The number of services providers and their expertise;
• Types of clients they are working with. 

Ready to dive into the world of team extension services in Europe? Let’s go!

Team extension 

First of all, in this article, we will focus on the team extension model, also known as staff augmentation services. This type of outsourcing allows you to tap into the global tech talent pool and expand your in-house development capabilities with the help of experts hired elsewhere in the world. 

How it works: 

1. Find a reputable company that specializes in team extension in Europe;
2. Submit your request and start communication;
3. Discuss the details: the size of the team and skills you need, estimated duration of the project, and other details;
4. Interview and approve potential candidates;
5. Launch your team.

Yes, it is as simple as that. This form of IT outsourcing allows you to expand your development unit easily and closely monitor the work of your new engineers, as they become a part of your team and work under your management. 

READ ALSO: Why are the Best Java Development Companies in Eastern Europe?

What are some other benefits of staff augmentation? 

• A larger pool of tech talent. You are no longer limited by your staffing capabilities and can go global if you need to.
• Faster staffing process (compared to traditional in-house employment). While the typical staffing process ranges from 10 to 15 weeks, staff augmentation allows you to cut this time to 3–7 weeks depending on the complexity of your request.
• Access to rare or niche expertise. Team extension helps you access the right kind of engineers – with the desired technical expertise, skillset, and experience you require.
• No recruitment or HR overhead. In this case, these are the responsibilities of your team extension partner. 
• Flexibility in scaling. You can easily scale up or down based on your needs, as well as request part-time involvement. 

Why opt for staff augmentation in Europe? 

For this section, we have gathered information from reliable sources and based our analysis of the companies’ profiles on one of the largest dedicated directories. We have analyzed the list of companies that have “staff augmentation” and “team extension” listed in their services and have a significant presence in Europe. 

Tech talent pool

Different sources estimate the European tech talent pool between 6.5 million and 8.4 million experts. Around 60% of these specialists reside in Western Europe. For example, the number of IT specialists in Germany has exceeded 1.9 million people. The vast majority of these experts are employed by the myriad of product companies that have a strong presence in Europe. Many experts are working for tech giants like Microsoft, IBM, or Samsung. The Eastern European pool of experts is estimated at 1.5 million specialists with a much lower competition for talent. Countries in this region have more experience with IT outsourcing and nearshore development for Europe.

A variety of companies

As of February 2022, Clutch listed 740+ companies with expertise in staff augmentation in Europe. While some companies might not be listed there, the estimate and share of the companies per country should remain the same. The largest number of such companies is located in Ukraine: 220+ vendors. 

Next comes Poland with 160+ firms, then Romania and Germany with a little under 50 companies. The remaining countries have a little over 200 companies combined.

READ ALSO: 30 Top Staff Augmentation Companies in the World 

While on the subject of nearshore development in Europe, let’s also take a look at the breakdown of the vendors by their size. Almost 60% of these companies are small boutique agencies. The rest are mid-size and large companies.  

You will have no problem finding a tech partner of any size. Make sure to take a look at the portfolio and the expertise before contacting them. 

Vast expertise and portfolio

When discussing nearshore development in Europe, we should also consider the type of clients they are partnering with. So who actually looks for team extension to Europe? First of all, let’s take a look at the size of these companies. 

Our research shows that the share of small and midsize clients is similar, whereas the share of enterprise-level clients is slightly lower.

However, the size of these companies is not significant on its own. We would also like to point your attention towards the domain expertise of companies that choose Europe for staff augmentation. Clutch states that the largest share belongs to healthcare, finance, and IT services. A significant number of vendors also have expertise in eCommerce, retail, telecom, and education verticals. 

Whatever your industry is, you will be able to find experts with the needed technical expertise and understanding of the domain, as most companies can source those at your request or even already have them in-house. 

READ ALSO: Why opt for a Software Outsourcing Company in Eastern Europe?

Final thoughts

If you are looking into nearshore development in Europe, remember to carefully examine all potential vendors. Make sure they have both the technical and domain expertise you need, as well as a proven track record of successful partnerships. 

Why choose nCube for team extension in Europe? 

1. We have 14+ years of experience in IT staff augmentation.
2. Our portfolio comprises of building teams for well-established companies, including AstraZeneca, Greenpeace, doTerra, Life360 (just to name a few) that have chosen us to become their tech partner.
3. We can help you source talent specializing in a variety of technologies: from Java, .NET, Python, JavaScript, Swift, Kotlin, React Native, to IoT, AI, Blockchain, and Data Science, and more.
4. We retain 85+% of experts during the lifetime of a project thanks to our well-rounded employee retention services. 
5. More than 60% of our clients successfully scale within the first year of our partnership.