Liferay Developer Salary: Detailed Guide for 2024

Key takeaways

• Level of seniority, certification, skill set, geographical location, and demand-supply ratio are key factors that influence Liferay developer salary. Find out how to find the right Liferay specialists for your project, avoiding risks of overspending, 
• Discover comprehensive salary data for Liferay developers across key global markets. Compare your earnings or offers with the global standards and optimize your career or hiring strategies accordingly.
• Growing demand for DXP solutions, market fluctuations in 2024, and remote job opportunities are key hiring trends that we offer you to get familiar with, stay ahead in the competitive landscape.

Imagine you’re navigating a stormy sea, where each wave represents the complexities of hiring or being a Liferay developer. Companies are trying to find the right talent without overspending, while developers are seeking fair compensation amidst fluctuating market conditions. Both face the challenge of steering their ships through unpredictable waters, unsure of what lies ahead.

Our goal was to create this guide and make it your lighthouse, providing clarity and direction in understanding Liferay developer salaries. In this blog post, we explore the key factors that influence compensation and ways to hire Liferay devs at a reasonable cost. Additionally, we offer you to explore current market trends that will help you make informed decisions. If you are a Liferay developer who wants to benchmark your salary against the current market or a company that plans to recruit niche Liferay devs with Java expertise, the data present in this blog post is for you. Use it wisely to sail through the storm with confidence and find your way to calmer waters.

What factors affect Liferay developer salary?

There are key and secondary factors that normally affect the salary and rates of Liferay developers. The main ones include geographical location, level of expertise, certifications and additional skills, market demand, and employment model. In turn, the secondary ones are economic cycles, industry-specific salary trends, and geopolitical events. Since secondary factors fluctuate more, in this section, we will focus on key factors to provide a stable foundation for understanding the primary drivers of Liferay developer salaries.

Location

Geographical location significantly affects Liferay developer salaries due to variations in living costs, local demand for tech talent, and regional economic conditions. For instance, developers in high-cost areas tend to earn higher salaries to match the higher living expenses, while those who reside in regions with lower costs of living may see lower compensation. On top of that, tech hubs with a high density of companies requiring advanced digital solutions often offer premium salaries to attract and retain top talent. 

Level of expertise (seniority)

The level of expertise or seniority directly impacts Liferay developer salaries, as more experienced developers bring greater knowledge, problem-solving abilities, and the ability to lead the project, review the completed work of less experienced developers, and mentor them. Seniority encompasses the number of years a developer has been working with Liferay and related technologies, as well as their familiarity with its intricacies. As a developer advances from junior to senior roles, their compensation increases accordingly due to the higher value they provide through experience and leadership.

Hiring model

The hiring model, whether a developer is a permanent employee, contractor, or freelancer, affects their salary and overall compensation package.  The choice of hiring model depends on the specific needs and budget constraints of the company, with freelance roles offering cost-effective solutions for short-term projects, while permanent roles are ideal for long-term commitments and strategic initiatives. Contractors, like Aimprosoft, can be advantageous for companies needing specialized skills for a defined period, allowing for scalability without long-term financial commitments.

Certification

Certifications play a crucial role in determining the salary of Liferay developers by validating their skills and expertise. Liferay Certification provides an objective measure of a developer’s knowledge of Liferay’s solutions and development best practices. Certified developers are often more attractive to employers, as these credentials demonstrate a verified level of competence and dedication to continuous learning. The essence of certifications lies in their ability to bridge skill gaps and ensure developers are up-to-date with the latest Liferay features and best practices. Liferay recommends that businesses look for Liferay devs who have completed Liferay Certification and attended Liferay Training.

Market demand and supply

Market demand and supply fundamentally influence Liferay developer salaries by dictating the availability of jobs relative to the number of qualified developers. High demand for DXP platforms like Liferay increases the competition for skilled developers, thereby driving up salaries. Developers who stay abreast of industry trends and continually enhance their skills are better positioned to capitalize on high-demand periods, ensuring their salary remains competitive even in turbulent market conditions.

Additional skills & knowledge

Additional skills and knowledge beyond core Liferay expertise can significantly boost a developer’s salary by enhancing their versatility and value to employers. Skills such as cloud integration, microservices architecture, and front-end frameworks make developers more capable of handling diverse and complex projects. The essence of additional skills lies in their ability to provide comprehensive solutions that meet evolving business needs, thus making developers more indispensable. 

Now that we’ve explored the major factors that determine the compensation package for a Liferay developer, let’s finally talk numbers and examine salary and rate variations within these key factors. 

Liferay developer salaries by seniority level

You should carefully consider what category of developer you need for your project since their salaries vary drastically depending on the experience level. Striking a balance in skills is essential: overpaying for highly skilled specialists to perform simple tasks leads to unnecessary expenses while relying on less experienced, cheaper developers for complex projects can result in incomplete work and potential setbacks. We have prepared an overview of Liferay developers’ seniority levels and explored the cost of hiring US experts as an example.

Expertise	Junior	Mid-level	Senior	Full-stack	Software architect
Minimum	$50,000	$75,000	$135,000	$130,000	$140,000
Maximum	$100,000	$130,000	$150,000	$160,000	$190,000

A junior Liferay developer handles basic tasks, bug fixes, and supports more experienced team members with simpler projects. Hire a junior developer for cost-effective assistance on routine tasks and foundational work; avoid if your project requires advanced problem-solving and extensive customization.

Junior Liferay developer

A junior Liferay developer handles basic tasks, bug fixes, and supports more experienced team members with simpler projects. Hire a junior developer for cost-effective assistance on routine tasks and foundational work; avoid if your project requires advanced problem-solving and extensive customization.

Required knowledge:

• Experience: 0-2 years of experience in web development and a basic understanding of Liferay DXP;
• Familiarity with HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and basic JSP;
• Basic knowledge of version control systems like Git;
• Knowledge of Liferay development environments, such as Liferay Workspace, and build tools like Maven or Gradle;
• Ability to perform basic customizations and configurations in Liferay;
• Familiar with basic development tools such as IntelliJ IDEA, Liferay IntelliJ plugin, and npm.

Mid-level Liferay specialist

A mid-level Liferay developer manages more complex tasks, provides support to junior developers, and works independently on moderately challenging projects. Opt for a mid-level developer when you need a balance of experience and cost-efficiency; they may not be ideal for leading highly complex or strategic initiatives.

Required knowledge:

• Experience: 2-4 years of experience in web development with a focus on Liferay DXP;
• Proficiency in HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript, and JSP for front-end development;
• Experience with Liferay-specific tools and environments, such as IntelliJ IDEA, Liferay IntelliJ plugin, Felix Gogo shell, and Liferay Workspace (Maven/Gradle);
• Competence in customizing Liferay components (fields, model listeners, service wrappers, resource bundle);
• Experience with UI development technologies (Bootstrap, jQuery, React, Velocity VM, Freemarker);
• Ability to write and optimize SQL queries and understand relational database management systems (Oracle, MySQL);
• Basic understanding of OSGi concepts and custom settings;
• Knowledge of Liferay theme development and customization;
• Experience with build tools (Maven, Gradle) and familiarity with agile development methodologies.

Senior Liferay developer

A senior Liferay developer excels at handling intricate projects, performing advanced customizations, and leading development teams. Hire a senior developer for critical, high-stakes projects that demand deep expertise and leadership; avoid if the project scope is limited to basic tasks that junior or mid-level developers can manage.

Required knowledge:

• Experience: 3-5 years of experience using web servers, applications servers, and RDBMS
• IntelliJ IDEA and Liferay IntelliJ plugin, Felix Gogo shell, Liferay Workspace (maven/gradle), Liferay Theme Generator, npm, Gulp;
• OSGi concepts and custom settings, component overrides;
• Good with customizations (fields, model listeners, service wrappers, resource bundle, content pages, master templates, style books);
• JSP customization (OSGi fragments; Custom Bags, Dynamic Includes, etc.);
• Theme Development, Ul development technologies (AJAX, CSS3, HTML5, JavaScript, React, jQuery, Velocity VM, Freemarker, Bootstrap 4, AlloyUl, Clay/Lexicon);
• API security, analytics, throttling, caching, logging, request and response modifications, etc.;
• Web Content, Structures and Templates (Master, Widget), Fragments, Content Pages;
• Creating REST API documentation using Swagger and RAML or similar tools is desirable;
• Object-Oriented Design (OOD)’
• Headless API.

Full-stack Liferay specialist

A full-stack Liferay developer manages both front-end and back-end tasks, ensuring seamless integration and comprehensive functionality across the platform. Choose a full-stack developer when you need versatile expertise to handle end-to-end development; this role may be excessive for projects requiring only specific front-end or back-end tasks.

Required knowledge:

• Experience: 3-5+ years of commercial experience;
• JEE technology, Liferay DXP, Service Builder, Portlets, JSP, JS, Query, React, HTML5, and Bootstrap;
• Experience with IntelliJ IDEA and Liferay IntelliJ plugin, Felix Gogo shell, Liferay Workspace (maven/gradle), Liferay Theme Generator, npm, Gulp’
• Experience Liferay Features, Content Management;
• Customizations (Fields, Model Listeners, Service Wrappers, Resource Bundle);
• Writing DML and DDL with relational database management systems (e.g., Oracle, MySQL; 
• Broad experience troubleshooting software issues and providing technical support;
• Applications development using various databases such as Oracle, MySQL, SQL Server, Sybase;
• Writing unit tests with tools like JUnit, Mockito, and PowerMockito;
• Experience with agile development and methodology;
• Familiar with build tools (Maven, Gradle).

Liferay software architect

A software Liferay architect designs the overall system architecture, ensuring scalability, performance, and effective integration with other systems. Hire a Liferay architect for large-scale, strategic projects requiring robust architectural planning and technical oversight; avoid hiring an architect for smaller projects where detailed architectural design is unnecessary.

Required knowledge:

• Experience: At least 7+ years of total JEE development experience and 5+ years of experience in developing enterprise-level Liferay applications;
• In-depth understanding of Liferay platform and dev best practices;
• Experience with Liferay 7.x DXP;
• Liferay sites and organizations with permissions configuration;
• Portlets, custom themes, and WCM feature development in Liferay;
• Liferay dev tools, Service Builder, customization best practices;
• Liferay features, theme development, and content management;
• Security and permissions tools;
• Application integration with LDAP;
• OSGI, MVC design pattern;
• Hibernate/Spring frameworks;
• Web services, Service/System Integration Implementation;
• Delivering technical design & architecture documentation;
• Code management tools, automated build setup, and deployment procedures;
• Implementation of logging, usage metrics, audit trail, and usage analytics components;
• Experienced in working with and leading offsite teams;
• Ability to translate business requirements into technical requirements;
• With strong analytical and problem-solving skills;
• Integration with enterprise systems and overall architectural standards;
• Proven personal time management skills;
• Excellent communication presentation and organization skills.

Overall, we recommend carefully assessing the project requirements and matching them with the right level of expertise to ensure that resources are used effectively, avoiding both overspending and underperformance.

Liferay developer salaries and rates by location

The location is one of the key factors affecting the cost of Liferay developers. For example, if you live in the USA, the hourly rate of a Liferay developer can vary from $55 to $75, with an annual salary varying from $115,000 to $175,000. For many business owners who need to hire Liferay devs, this figure can be quite budget-busting. If you look at the Ukrainian IT market, the hourly rates of such specialists will seem more pleasant, varying from $20 to $55. That’s why companies often choose to hire Liferay developers via outstaffing. That’s why companies often choose to hire Liferay developers via outstaffing. So why does a location have such a huge impact on a softwar engineer’s salary? Let’s explore it in detail. 

• Market conditions within the country

Contrary to popular belief, a lower developer price isn’t normally accompanied by a lower quality of work. The country’s level of living, labor expenses, and market dynamics are some of the reasons behind a low price in certain destinations. These factors determine the cost of hiring a Liferay developer and the amount of money you have to spend to implement your idea.

• Supply of talent

Developer salaries are significantly influenced by the availability of talent. In regions with a surplus of skilled developers, salaries can be relatively lower due to the abundance of talent competing for positions. In contrast, in places where there is a dearth of qualified developers, businesses frequently need to pay higher rates in order to draw and keep talent.

• Local regulations

Local labor laws, tax rates, and government policies strongly impact companies’ financial resources, which in turn affect the wages they can offer developers. Because these regulations impact the overall labor cost and economic conditions of a region, they are vital in determining the compensation packages offered to Liferay developers.

Liferay developer salaries in the USA

As the technology landscape evolves, the demand for skilled Liferay developers in the USA has seen significant growth. In the bustling US tech hubs, Liferay developers’ salaries present promising figures, especially for those with considerable experience. Based on data gathered from Talent, Glassdoor, and Jooble, entry-level positions start at around $50,000 annually, with potential growth up to $100,000 as developers gain experience and expertise. In turn, mid-level professionals enjoy salaries ranging between $75,000 and $150,000. For seasoned experts, the compensation can skyrocket to anywhere between $115,000 and $175,000, highlighting a strong upward trajectory in earning potential as one accumulates experience.

This salary progression underscores the high value placed on experienced developers, with the market ready to remunerate generously for top-tier skills and extensive industry knowledge. Companies venturing to employ Liferay developers must prepare for competitive salary offers, particularly for candidates with a robust portfolio and specialized skills.

Liferay developer salaries across Europe

Europe’s technology sector exhibits a diverse array of salary ranges for Liferay developers, reflecting the varied economic conditions across the continent. In Germany, the starting average for these developers is approximately €40,000 ($43,000), a modest beginning in one of Europe’s largest economies. The United Kingdom, however, sets a higher benchmark with average salaries nearing €70,000 ($76,000), indicative of its robust demand for tech talent and higher cost of living. Meanwhile, Spain represents the more economical end of the spectrum, with average salaries around €23,000 ($25,000), showcasing the broad variability within the European market.

In turn, in the regions of Eastern Europe, like Poland and Ukraine, with thriving IT hubs, average annual salaries are $40,000 and $30,000, respectively. 

Understanding these regional salary discrepancies is crucial for businesses and developers. High-demand regions like the UK may offer more lucrative opportunities but also come with stiffer competition and higher living costs. Conversely, markets like Spain, while offering lower average salaries, may provide other benefits such as lower cost of living and less saturated job markets. Engaging with local recruitment experts and consulting regional salary surveys can provide deeper insights into these dynamics, helping both employers and developers make informed decisions in the European tech industry.

Liferay developer compensation in India

In India’s vibrant tech ecosystem, the salary range for Liferay developers varies widely, reflecting the dynamic nature of its job market. Entry-level developers may start with salaries as low as $6,500 per annum, while seasoned professionals can earn up to $16,000. This wide salary spectrum offers substantial room for negotiation, dependent on individual skill levels and professional experience. 

Companies looking to hire in India benefit from a cost-effective pool of talent, while developers have the opportunity to leverage their expertise for significant salary advancements.

Liferay developer salary in Brazil

Brazil’s market for Liferay developers presents an intriguing scenario with relatively high salary levels, ranging between $25,000 and $35,000 annually. Despite these figures being based on a smaller data set, they indicate a potent demand for skilled developers in an emerging tech market. For companies and developers alike, Brazil offers a fertile ground for growth in the tech sector.

The global landscape for Liferay developer salaries showcases a vibrant overview, reflecting the diverse economic environments across the USA, Europe, India, and Brazil. Understanding these salary dynamics is crucial for companies and developers to make informed decisions. While experienced developers in mature markets enjoy higher wages, emerging markets offer significant growth potential and competitive opportunities. 

Now you are informed regarding the influence of a location-based factor, let’s explore how the choice of engagement model affect Liferay developer rates.

Liferay programmer hourly rates by engagement models

There are four major engagement models when it comes to employing developers: hiring an in-house specialist or freelancer, and collaboration with an IT vendor via outsourcing or outstaffing. Let’s review the peculiarities of all models and their pros and cons.

 Freelance

Specifics. Employment of freelance is an extremely popular option due to its flexibility and the absence of the necessity to complete various recruiting, onboarding, and employee maintenance procedures. Hiring freelance Liferay devs will be a good option for the completion of short-term and simple projects and small tasks.

Pros: lower rates compared to in-house specialists, large talent pool on various freelance platforms. 

Cons: risks of miscommuniation, the mismatch between claimed skill set and the actual one resulting in doubled costs, and management of all development-related processes by yourself, which may result in the missed deadline, product quality issues, and overtime because of troubleshooting. Hourly rate: extremely wide range depending on an absence of fixed market standards, skill sets, location, and chosen freelance platform.

Category	Average hourly rate
Junior	$10—15
Middle	$15—35
Senior	$35—70

In-house employment

Specifics. This is the most expensive model among these four options. It works best for large-scale projects that are planned to be constantly expanded and maintained. It doesn’t work well for startups or small projects that don’t require constant developer involvement. 

Pros: direct and constant communication with the employee, full control over the development process, security isn’t at stake.

Cons: high expenditures related to recruiting and employee maintenance processes, extra costs related to equipment maintenance, long search for the necessary specialist, and possibility of talent shortage in the local market. 

Salary: depends on the country where you reside. Several popular examples have been reviewed in the previous section.

Outsourcing

Specifics. This is a great compromise for in-house specialists, both in terms of quality and price. By choosing the outsourcing option, you just have to pay for the services you need and avoid any other expenditures related to in-house employment. By outsourcing the implementation of your project to a software vendor, you can not only delegate Liferay development activities but also hire a project manager, QA engineers, and other experts as a part of the dedicated team for an adequate budget.

Pros: the quality of the product is the software vendor’s responsibility, solid industry expertise, cost-saving option, high level of technical and industry expertise, the delegation of all development-related processes, flexibility, and a large talent pool to choose from.

Cons: less control (in certain cases complete absence) over project management, time zone difference (in case it’s offshore outsourcing), cultural differences, and risks of getting results that don’t meet your expectations.

Hourly rate: depends on the country and the developer’s expertise as well as the pricing model (fixed price or time & materials).

Outstaffing

Specifics. Outstaffing presupposes the employment of Node.js developers to your in-house team. Similar to outsourcing, developers are usually hired from external IT vendors who offer specialists based on rates that are lower than of those in the local market. The hired Liferay devs can be fully managed by you, or you can additionally hire PM from the software vendor. 

Pros: cost-saving option, all administrative activities regarding the employee are completed by the hired software vendor, high level of flexibility, full control over the development process, solid industry expertise.

Cons: time zone difference (in case it’s an offshore outstaffing), time employee management is usually performed on the client side, and small development delays since you will need time to integrate external developers into the in-house team.

Hourly rate: depends on the vendor’s location and the developer’s expertise.

Country	Average hourly rate
USA	$60—80
UK	$60—70
Western Europe (Germany)	$50—65
Eastern Europe (Ukraine)	$35—55

So, we’ve explored the third core factor that affects Liferay developer salary — the engagement model. Now it’s time to examine hiring and salary trends that influence the compensation landscape for Liferay developers.

Liferay developer salary trends 2024 and forecast

As we go through 2024, several key trends are shaping the salary landscape for Liferay developers. Understanding these trends — ranging from the increasing demand for DXP platforms to the growing prevalence of remote work and its implications for globalization and cost management —  can help both businesses and developers to stay informed and adapt to market dynamics. 

Increasing demand for DXP

In 2024, the demand for Digital Experience Platforms (DXP) is expected to surge as more businesses prioritize personalized and integrated digital experiences for their customers. Based on recent market analyses, the global DXP market is projected to grow significantly, reflecting the heightened value placed on digital customer engagement. According to the research, The global DXP market size was valued at $12.2 billion in 2022 and is expected to expand at a CAGR of 14.23% during the forecast period, reaching $27.2 billion by 2028.

For business owners, this trend signifies a higher need for skilled Liferay developers who can effectively implement and manage these platforms. Consequently, this increased demand will drive up salaries for Liferay developers as companies compete to attract and retain top talent with expertise in DXP solutions. 

Remote work

Since the start of the pandemic, remote work remains a prevailing trend, with many companies adopting hybrid or fully remote models. This flexibility attracts top talent but also creates a competitive market where companies must offer attractive compensation packages to retain skilled developers. Additionally, the globalization of the workforce allows companies to leverage outsourcing and outstaffing, accessing a broader talent pool across different regions. 

This can affect the costs companies are willing to pay for Liferay developers, as they can hire from regions with lower living costs, potentially reducing overall expenses while still maintaining high-quality development standards. According to FlexOS, 98% of remote workers prefer to continue working remotely, highlighting the importance of offering flexible work arrangements to attract and retain talent in the tech industry​​. Moreover, leveraging global talent can lead to cost savings and operational efficiency, as indicated by various industry reports on remote work and global hiring trends.

Impact of skill specialization

As the tech landscape evolves, there’s a growing need for developers with specialized skills. Liferay developers who possess expertise in areas such as AI integration, advanced security, and cloud-based implementations are in high demand. This specialization often commands higher salaries due to the complexity and niche nature of the work. Employers are willing to pay higher salaries and employ external devs for higher rates since they can bring this advanced expertise to their projects.

Hiring market remains strong

Over 260,000 tech jobs were lost in 2023, surpassing the previous year’s figures by more than 50%. However, in 2024, market dynamics positively shifted, and the future for software developers still looks promising in the long term. Despite economic uncertainties, the hiring market for tech talent, including Liferay developers, will remain strong in 2024. Business owners should be aware that the strong demand for developers, coupled with a relatively limited supply of highly skilled professionals, keeps salaries competitive.

 This trend means that businesses must be prepared to implement robust strategies or resources to support their employees effectively through these job cuts. Data from recent employment studies shows a consistent demand for IT professionals, suggesting that the tech hiring market will continue to be dynamic and competitive.

How to hire Liferay developers at a reasonable hourly rate at Aimprosoft in 4 simple steps?

Before answering the question “how to hire Aimprosoft Liferay devs,” it would be fair enough to answer “why to choose Aimprosoft” first. 

• Our portfolio comprises a wide range of successfully completed Liferay projects and covers scenarios of migration, legacy software updates, and product development from scratch (including extranets, intranets, and other types of portals), which means we have the expertise to handle diverse and complex business requirements efficiently.
• We have an extensive team of certified Liferay devs, which, apart from benefiting from their expertise, gives you significant flexibility and scalability since you can scale up the development team if necessary. It also allows you to choose the specialist that meets your requirements precisely. 
• We’ve been providing Liferay development services for more than 15+ years, which makes us a reliable and experienced software vendor that knows all the pitfalls of developing software using this technology and can help you avoid them.
• There are more than 350 specialists working at Aimprosoft. It means that apart from Liferay developers, you can assemble an entire development team that will consist of BA, PM, QA engineers, and DevOps specialists who will bring up the project from scratch and help you launch it successfully.

Step one: provide all your requirements

You turn to us with a clear request regarding the hiring of a Liferay specialist (or team in case you need to assemble a dedicated team) and a description of your project. The request is processed by our pre-sales team, which analyzes all the collected information, checks the availability of the developers, and offers the best-fit candidates for the review. A detailed description of requirements is preferred but not necessary since we can conduct the discovery phase and design tech documentation on our side.

Step two: explore the developers’ CVs

This stage presupposes your review of our Liferay developers’ CVs. The CVs contain all the necessary information regarding the developers’ background, skillset, and portfolio with a short description of completed projects. The more details you provide on the previous stage, the easier it will be for us to select relevant specialists.

Very often, business owners have two major fears at this stage: the fear that the chosen IT vendor won’t provide the right developer due to an incorrect interpretation of the requirements, and the second one is the result of the former scenario, which is time loss. To dispel these fears, we recommend conducting a discovery stage which will help document all your requirements correctly, assemble the best-fit team for your project, and ensure proper budget allocation.

Step three: conduct an interview

The interview with the chosen candidates will allow you to evaluate both the hard and soft skills of the Liferay developers, check their English proficiency, and determine whether you are comfortable working with them.

Step four: sign the contract with the vendor

At this final stage, we’ll sign the contract where all conditions regarding our cooperation, including payment conditions, deadline, failure consequences, risks, project specification, and other aspects. That’s it. Our Liferay developers can start working on your project as all contract conditions are agreed upon.

Conclusion

Understanding the factors that influence Liferay developer salaries is crucial for both businesses looking to hire top talent and developers seeking to keep up with the market changes effectively. By recognizing the importance of geographical location, level of expertise, certifications, and additional skills, you can make informed decisions that balance cost and quality, ensuring you attract and retain the right talent for your projects. And if you are considering hiring seasoned Liferay devs using an outsourcing or outstaffing approach, you can always contact us, and we’ll connect you with skilled Aimprosoft professionals to meet your project needs.

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