Approximately 5,000 Russian IT specialists relocated to international businesses in the year 2024.
From 2024 onwards, Asian and Western companies are once again snapping up Russian IT specialists with a staggering 5,000 employees in the development sector. According to Kommersant, key players include Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent from China, SAP, Delivery Hero from Europe, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI from the U.S. Even Meta, banned in Russia, is making a splash in the Russian IT market. There's also increased demand in the fintech sector from the UAE and interest from Indian IT outsourcers.
These companies tend to hire their Russian employees as freelancers or establish service contracts with local development teams working remotely. Despite an almost doubling of outflow compared to 2023, the Russian Ministry of Digital Development views this as individual cases and not a mass exodus, given the industry's overall workforce of about one million in Russia.
In the global hunt for skilled IT talent, Russian specialists shine due to their solid mathematical foundation, adept problem-solving abilities, and cost-effectiveness, especially in terms of dollars. Top-tier specialists like experts, architects, and project managers are the first to be poached. However, this trend is likely to be temporary, primarily due to a low base, as foreign companies fill their personnel needs.
In light of the staff shortage in the field of information security in Russia, the labor market is Characterized by a severe shortage of experienced IT specialists, as evidenced by a 17% increase in vacancies for information security specialists in 2024 compared to the previous year, reaching 27,300, according to HeadHunter. This labor shortage continues to be a significant challenge for businesses in 2025, but the demand for some specialists may wane by 2025.
The sectors currently consuming the most labor are yet to be determined, as are the timelines for when the wage race will end and whether it will ever truly end. Experts from АРА (ARA) have also highlighted potential new risks that could significantly worsen the staff shortage.
Note that the U.S. labor market, despite economic uncertainties, remains vigorous, with various industries contributing to employment growth. The wage race for IT specialists is expected to continue due to the persistent global shortage of skilled professionals and the critical role of IT in most industries. However, broader economic factors like inflation, labor market sentiments, and geopolitical events can influence trends in the IT job market.
In conclusion, the labor market is undergoing significant changes, with the IT sector being a key driver. The global demand for IT professionals is driving the wage race, but the end is difficult to predict. Keep an eye on economic and geopolitical factors to understand the trends in the IT job market.
- I'm not sure if the demand for Russian IT specialists, especially in the areas of finance, business, technology, and education-and-self-development, will continue to remain high, given that foreign companies are already filling their personnel needs.
- Outsourcers from India are showing increased interest in the Russian IT market, adding to the competition for skilled Russian IT workers.
- Huawei, Alibaba, Tencent, SAP, Delivery Hero, Meta, Amazon, OpenAI, and even Meta – despite being banned in Russia – are among the Western and Asian companies aggressively hiring Russian IT specialists, a trend that started from 2024.
- The labor market in Russia is currently characterized by a severe shortage of experienced IT specialists in the information security sector, with a 17% increase in vacancies for information security specialists in 2024, reaching 27,300, according to HeadHunter.
- The technology industry is not the only sector undergoing a wage race for skilled IT professionals; it has also extended to the fintech sector, with the UAE showing increased demand.
