Global hiring update: UK Demand for AI Talent to Narrow the Eastern European Tech Pay Gap By 10 Points By 2028

New global hiring analysis finds growing international demand for AI, cyber and cloud talent is reshaping global salary expectations

London, UK, 1 July 2026 – Rising demand from UK businesses for AI, cyber and cloud talent is expected to accelerate salary growth across emerging tech markets over the next three years, according to new research from global talent solutions partner Robert Walters and Native Teams, the global work payments platform.

Based on the forecast by the Robert Walters Market Intelligence team and Native Teams, increased cross-border hiring by UK firms could narrow salary gaps between the UK and Eastern Europe for tech roles from 46% to 36% by 2028, as organisations compete globally for scarce digital expertise.

What’s more, salaries for AI, cloud and cyber professionals in Eastern Europe could rise by as much as 8% annually over the next three years, growing faster than equivalent roles in the UK.

Indeed, average base salaries for mid-level software developers in Eastern Europe are projected to rise from $48,000 today to more than $60,000 by 2028. Over the same period, equivalent salaries in the UK are forecast to increase from $89,000 to around $94,000.

Phill Brown, Global Head of Market Intelligence at Robert Walters, says, “One of the clearest shifts we are starting to see in the technology labour market is that specialist digital skills are becoming more globally priced.

“Historically, salary growth across emerging technology markets was driven primarily by local economic conditions. Increasingly, however, international demand from UK and multinational employers is becoming a major influence, particularly across AI, cyber security and cloud.

“Once businesses begin competing internationally for the same specialist talent pools, salary expectations tend to move much faster than local markets alone would typically support.”

The shift is also contributing to the expansion of regional technology hubs across Eastern Europe, as multinational employers continue to invest in internationally distributed teams and digital capability.

“Eastern Europe continues to attract UK employers due to its growing maturity in global work infrastructure”, comments Jack Thorogood, Founder and CEO of Native Teams. “The region has deep technical talent, strong STEM education systems, and operational compatibility with how globally distributed companies already work today.

“As more UK businesses build teams across borders, salary expectations naturally begin to shift. Once companies start competing globally for specialised talent, local salary benchmarks stop being driven only by domestic market conditions.

“Over time, this creates a more structurally integrated technology market between the UK and Europe. Global teams have become part of their long-term talent strategies instead of being viewed as an alternative workforce model.”

The findings follow recent forecast by the Robert Walters Market Intelligence team that one in two AI roles could go unfilled in the UK, as the country is expected to face a shortage of more than 160,000 AI professionals by 2028. Expanding AI hiring outside of domestic labour markets could help lift UK productivity growth by between 0.5 and 1.5 percentage points annually by helping organisations scale AI capability more quickly and reduce deployment delays linked to talent shortages.

The research forms part of a wider report from Robert Walters and Native Teams exploring how global hiring corridors are reshaping workforce strategies, salary expectations and access to specialist talent across international markets.

Phill adds, “The organisations moving fastest in AI are often those able to access specialist talent quickly, regardless of geography. They are now competing on how quickly they can build the technical capability needed to turn AI investment into operational results.”