Ukrainian Talent Proves Resilient. In Ukraine, a country renowned for tech talent, engineers have found ways to keep working despite the war, — Sequoia
Sequoia Capital is an American venture capital firm headquartered in Menlo Park, California which specializes in seed stage, early stage, and growth stage investments in private companies across technology sectors.
Within the Atlas project, an interactive guide to Europe’s technical talent, Sequoia published an article dedicated to Ukrainian IT sector.
Key takeaways
- Ukraine has a reputation for producing excellent engineering talent
- Around 85% of Ukrainian developers have managed to keep working full-time, in Ukraine or abroad
- Only 16% of tech companies lost more than 10% of their customers; 52% managed to retain them all
- Overall, the industry has proved resilient and continues to provide talent to the world
Ukrainian IT sector during the war
While data regarding the Ukrainian tech scene amid the ongoing war is sparse and subject to fluctuations, a few undeniable facts illustrate the remarkable resilience of the country’s tech industry and its workforce. Despite the upheaval, only a fraction of the tech workforce, approximately 16%, has departed the country. The majority of IT professionals and software developers, more than 70% and 80% respectively, continue to work full-time. In the face of adversity, they have adapted and relocated to comparatively safer regions such as Kyiv and Western Ukraine.
In smaller companies, employing up to 200 staff members, around 20% of specialists have joined the ranks of the army. A notable 5% of IT experts are deeply engaged in the information front, contributing their skills to state cybersecurity and the maintenance of critical infrastructure facilities. Remarkably, there exist companies where nearly all tech specialists are currently serving in cyber forces. These statistics are sourced from a survey of 30 IT companies that collectively employ 34,000 IT professionals, all members of the Association of IT Ukraine.
This resilience extends beyond individual workers. Only 2% of Ukrainian IT companies have been forced to shut down due to the war. And only around 16% of Ukrainian tech companies lost more than a tenth of their customers; more than half (52%) managed to retain them all. Overall, in 2022, the country’s IT industry yielded 5.8% more in export revenues than in 2021.
Still, Ukrainian tech practitioners continue to adapt. Approximately 60% of tech employees continue to work within Ukrainian borders, despite being displaced from their homes, while a mere 14% of those displaced have chosen to leave the country opting for safer areas. Central and Eastern European countries, where several cities offer highly amenable conditions for remote work, have proved popular destinations.
The full article is available here
