The first edition of ‘Atlas,’ Sequoia’s guide to Europe’s technical talent, includes an article about the resilience of Ukraine IT workforce.
“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,” write the analysts or the famous US VC firm.
“Only a fraction of the tech workforce, approximately 16%, has departed the country” in spite of the war, while “the majority of IT professionals and software developers, more than 70% and 80% respectively, continue to work full-time.” Many of them have relocated to “comparatively safer regions such as Kyiv and Western Ukraine.”
The report also notes that just “16% of tech companies lost more than 10% of their customers” while “52% managed to retain them all.”
Many Ukrainian IT professionals, nevertheless, have been involved in the war directly. Thus, “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.”
In small companies (up to 200 staff members), “around 20% of specialists have joined the ranks of the army.” In certain cases, “nearly all tech specialists are currently serving in cyber forces,” the report says, citing data collected by the IT Ukraine association.
While international observers tend to praise the resilience of the Ukrainian IT sector amid the war, this view does not fully reflect ground realities. Many Ukrainians failed to relocate to safe places — exposing themselves at least to power outages when Russian rockets strike. A number of small firms and freelancers have lost a significant fraction of their customers and revenues since the war began in February 2022.
Click here to read the article or there to download the Atlas report in full.
