Salaries of PHP Developers in Russia Rose by 20% Over the Year

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PHP developer salaries have grown by 20%: what is behind this growth?

The job market for PHP developers in 2024 brought a pleasant surprise: according to fresh data from analytical platforms (HeadHunter, SuperJob and industry studies), average salaries for specialists have grown by 20% compared to last year. If in 2023 the median salary of a PHP programmer was about 150,000 rubles, now it has approached the 180,000 ruble mark. In this article, we analyze what factors influenced the growth and what this means for those who work or plan to enter PHP.

Why is PHP trending again?

Many mistakenly consider PHP an "outdated" language, but statistics say otherwise. PHP continues to be the foundation for 77% of all websites in the world (including WordPress, Bitrix and Laravel). In Russia, salary growth is driven by several key reasons:

Staff shortage. The departure of Western vendors and the relocation of some IT specialists have created a vacuum in the market. Companies are willing to pay more to retain experienced developers and attract new ones.
Migration to modern frameworks. Employers are increasingly looking for developers proficient in Laravel, Symfony or Yii2. Specialists who have switched from "bare" PHP to frameworks receive a 30-40% increase.
Growth of e-commerce and fintech. Online stores, payment systems and CRM systems are actively written in PHP. Demand for such developers has grown by 35% over the past six months.

Regional differences and grade levels

Salary growth has affected all levels, but unevenly:

Junior (0-1 year): salaries have grown from 50,000 to 70,000 rubles (+20%). Employers now more often hire juniors with a basic knowledge of OOP and Git.
Middle (2-4 years): a jump from 120,000 to 160,000 rubles (+33%). The highest demand is for Middle developers who know Laravel and can work with high loads.
Senior (5+ years): growth from 200,000 to 240,000 rubles (+20%). Here, skills in architecture, DevOps and experience with microservices are valued.

In Moscow and St. Petersburg, the median salary of a Senior PHP developer has already exceeded 300,000 rubles, in the regions (Yekaterinburg, Novosibirsk, Kazan) — about 200,000 rubles. However, the share of remote vacancies is actively growing (currently 60% of all offers), which smooths out the regional difference.