Introduction

AngularJS remains a top choice for front-end development across Europe, powering dynamic, high-performance web applications. It is used by over 17% of developers, making it the 6th most widely used web framework (as of 2024). Take the Deutsche Bank, The Guardian UK, and Lufthansa, for example. They have leveraged Angular (the successor built on AngularJS's front-end capabilities) for its core features—support for modular development, static typing support, and extensible HTML directives to streamline coding, reduce costs, and accelerate time-to-market. 

AngularJS developers who can leverage its full potential are increasingly sought after.g. As a result, salaries have risen, adding to the costs of hiring skilled AngularJS developers locally, especially in competitive job markets like Europe. This competition has also made it increasingly difficult for businesses to find qualified developers. Moreover, as more developers shift toward newer frameworks like ReactJS and VueJS, the supply of AngularJS talent continues to dwindle. These challenges make local development costly and time-consuming, pushing many businesses to explore offshoring as a viable solution.

This article will dig deeper into this shift from local to offshore AngularJS development and see how the latter is now a more effective strategy to gain a competitive edge. 

Why Do European Enterprises Choose AngularJS for Development?

AngularJS is a popular front-end JavaScript framework. It enables developers to build dynamic web applications and websites, such as single-page web applications (SPAs), multi-page applications (MPAs), progressive web apps (PWAs), etc., with a clean and efficient structure. Even though newer frameworks like ReactJS and VueJS have emerged, AngularJS (especially its newer version Angular 2) is still a solid contender because:

  • Modular Development: Divides code into reusable components, enhancing scalability and maintainability.
  • Strong Community Support: An active and robust developer community, providing resources, tools, and libraries.
  • TypeScript Support: In the latest version—Angular 2 (a complete rewrite of AngularJS). Offers static typing support, better tooling and IDE, easier debugging, and improved code modularity.
  • Cross-Platform Compatibility: Supports development for both web and mobile applications.

Enhanced Efficiency with Reusable HTML Directives: Extends HTML with custom tags and attributes to create dynamic user interfaces with minimal code.

Why Local AngularJS Development is No Longer Making Sense for European Businesses?

1. The Cost of Local AngularJS Development

European companies are increasingly turning away from local AngularJS development due to prohibitively high costs. For instance, the cost of employing an entry-level AngularJS developer in countries like Germany is somewhere around €45,000 - €65,000 per year. The same can be much higher for mid-to-senior level developers with specialized skills (motion design and animation with CSS/JS, familiarity with service-oriented architectures and microservices, etc.). 

Moreover, maintaining in-house teams also generates overhead related to salaries, benefits, and an IT infrastructure. This results in a high TCO (total cost of ownership). 

2. Limited Local AngularJS Expertise

The shift toward offshore AngularJS development can also be due to the limited AngularJS expertise in local markets, particularly in Western Europe. As businesses adopt modern technologies, many local front-end developers are transitioning to newer frameworks like ReactJS (used by over 39.5% of developers) and VueJS (used by over 15.4% of developers), creating a gap in demand & availability of local AngularJS expertise.  

3. The Hiring Bottleneck: Hassles in Recruitment

Another significant challenge European businesses face is hiring bottlenecks in the tech industry. While AngularJS remains a widely used front-end development framework, hiring AngularJS developers locally has become an increasingly time-consuming and difficult process due to talent shortages.

  • It involves lengthy steps—posting job listings, screening candidates, conducting interviews, and navigating complex legal requirements such as work permits and visas.
  • Moreover, in tech hubs like Amsterdam, Berlin, Paris, and Dublin, companies often face stiff competition for talent. This further adds to increased salaries and difficulties in retaining top talent. SMBs (small to medium-sized businesses) particularly find it financially burdensome to compete with larger corporations, which are in a better position to offer competitive salaries. 
  • Finding skilled AngularJS developers who also align with your business objectives can take a considerable amount of time. When hiring takes too long, organizations often settle for less-than-ideal candidates, leading to inefficiencies and technical debt in the long run.

This is why many European enterprises are outsourcing AngularJS development to offshore teams.

How Offshoring AngularJS Development Presents a Solution?

The global offshore software development market is expected to grow to US$389.7 billion by 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of 12.5% in the next eight years. This growth underscores its benefits—cost efficiency due to lower labor costs, access to specialized expertise, and uninterrupted development with a follow-the-sun (24*7 support) model. Let's explore some benefits of offshore AngularJS development. 

Financial Benefits: Unlocking Significant Cost Savings with a Global Reach

Hiring offshore AngularJS developers or offshoring the entire project to an external service provider is a proven approach to optimize development costs and access a global talent pool. As local markets, such as Europe, are witnessing rising salaries for skilled AngularJS developers, businesses face higher costs. 

Offshoring to tech hubs in countries like India and Ukraine can offer a solution. India, with the second-largest developer population after the USA, provides a vast talent pool. Similarly, Ukraine is a top offshoring hub in Europe, known for its strong developer pool and proximity to Western countries. Both offer expertise at a fraction of the cost incurred in hiring local AngularJS developers. Here is an estimate:

The cost of hiring offshore AngularJS developers in India:

  • Average Salary: ₹1,000,000 per year (~US$12,000)
  • Entry-Level: ₹625,000 per year (~US$7,300)
  • Experienced Developers: Up to ₹2,500,000 per year (~US$23,300)

Source 

The cost of hiring offshore AngularJS developers in Ukraine:

  • Average Salary: US$36,000 per year
  • Entry-Level: US$24,000 per year
  • Experienced Developers: US$48,000 per year

Source

Breaking Free from Hiring Hassles

Another benefit of offshoring is the ability to break free from the hiring hassles that affect local recruitment. Instead of dealing with extended hiring cycles, businesses can quickly onboard offshore teams, who are readily available and often pre-vetted for the required skills. They follow agile development practices and have streamlined processes (including rigorous QA) and an established IT infrastructure, allowing businesses to get started within a few days. 

Additionally, offshore AngularJS development teams can be adjusted in size depending on project demands. Businesses do not need to worry about physical space or hiring overhead when adding more developers to the team. 

Maximizing Offshoring Success

Selecting the Best AngularJS Development Location and Partner

Offshoring can make a significant difference—but only if you have the right offshoring partner (or developers) by your side. The right partner ensures quality, timely delivery, and seamless collaboration, while the incompatible choice can lead to project delays, increased development costs, and technical debt. 

With so many options for both offshoring location and service partner (or development team), making this decision can be challenging. To help you navigate the selection process, we have compiled two checklists to guide you.

Consider the following before finalizing the right offshoring location:

  • Talent Availability: Choose locations that are known to have a large pool of skilled AngularJS developers, such as India, Ukraine, Brazil, Poland, or the Philippines. These countries have tech hubs with growing developer populations. 
  • Cost-Effectiveness: Optimizing development and hiring costs are major reasons to opt for offshoring. Evaluate the total cost in different regions, balancing rates with the expertise needed for your project. 
  • Time Zone Compatibility: Make sure the location's time zone aligns with your working hours, allowing for overlapping collaboration time to facilitate real-time communication.
  • Language Proficiency: Choose regions with high English proficiency to ensure smooth communication and understanding of project requirements. This will help you avoid potential miscommunications. 
  • Cross-Border Hiring Regulations: Get familiar with the legalities around cross-border hiring, including work permits, tax regulations, and employment laws. Ensure the location complies with international labor standards and has clear contracts.
  • Cultural Alignment: Consider cultural factors that may influence work ethics and communication styles, and aim for locations with similar business practices and values.

If choosing an offshore AngularJS development partner, keep the following things in mind:

  • Evaluate Expertise: Look for proven experience in AngularJS development and a solid portfolio of successful projects.
  • Check Technical Skills: Verify proficiency in AngularJS-specific features along with familiarity with other essential front-end technologies such as HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript (ES6+), and responsive design principles.
  • Assess Communication & Collaboration: Ensure the offshore service partner uses project management and communication tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or JIRA for maximum remote work efficiency.
  • Review References & Case Studies: Ask for references and review case studies to assess the quality of their work and customer satisfaction.
  • Scalability & Flexibility: Confirm that they can quickly scale resources up or down based on project needs and changing requirements.
  • Long-Term Support: Check if they offer ongoing maintenance and support to ensure the long-term success and stability of your AngularJS application.

With an increasing demand for niche expertise, such as AngularJS within front-end development, and a constantly shifting tech landscape, organizations can no longer rely solely on local talent. Offshoring has become, and will continue to be, a key strategy for businesses seeking access to a wider talent pool and the ability to optimize development costs, all while maintaining high-quality standards. Start exploring your offshoring options today and meet your development goals across borders.