Planning to Hire Developers in Ukraine? Key Facts You Should Know

Over the past year, Ukraine has become a symbol of freedom and resistance on the global stage. Despite the turmoil inflicted by the war, outsourcing development in Ukraine has proven to be exceptionally resilient: The industry has even reached a 10% growth, as compared to the pre-war year. Primarily focused on global markets, Ukrainian developers have swiftly adapted to the new reality, continuing to support their clients’ projects. 

In this post, we’ll delve into the phenomenon of outsourcing development in Ukraine, review its state, and even let you in on several secrets when it comes to Ukrainian developers. Let’s begin!

Ukrainian developers: Skills

In 2023, you can tap into the repository of nearly 300,000 IT specialists who work at various Ukrainian outsourcing companies. Here is this year’s ranking of the most popular programming languages among Ukrainian developers. 

source: dou.ua

Another survey showed the key areas of expertise of Ukrainian software developers. 

source: dou.ua

When it comes to the competencies of Ukrainian developers, 30% of specialists have up to 3-5 years of commercial experience. The share of those with 1-2 years of experience is 26%. Finally, 30% of tech experts are senior-level, with more than 6 years of experience. 

Ukrainian developers: Location

When speaking about Ukrainian developers, it’s impossible to overlook the elephant in the room, which is the war. Without a doubt, the forced relocation of IT specialists to safer regions and abroad is reshaping the market of outsourcing development in Ukraine. Numerous Ukrainian development companies have shifted their operations to Western Ukraine. Others, have embraced the chance for globalizing and opened their development centers in Warsaw, Prague, and London as well as in Mexico, São Paulo, Brasília, and other cities. Such a relocation trend lets you hire Ukrainian developers from all around the world.

Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, remains the country’s largest IT hub and home to hundreds of outsourcing companies. It means that you can easily find the needed developers there or opt in for other IT clusters, such as Lviv, Ternopil, or Uzhorod. Also, you can currently access Ukrainian developers residing in Poland, Hungary, Romania, the Czech Republic, and Moldova.

Education 

When you hire developers in Ukraine, you can count on an extensive pool of certified technology experts, as over 80% of IT specialists in Ukraine have a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree. In recent years, the number of IT students has exceeded the milestone of 100,000. Due to a strong technical background, many Ukrainian graduates are able to compete internationally in terms of their skills. In fact, 11 Ukrainian universities that offer advanced technological programs are included in the 2022 World’s Best Universities Ranking. For example, future developers in Kyiv can pursue a STEM degree at Kyiv Polytechnic University, one of the largest tech universities in Ukraine.  

Involvement

Ukraine is one of Europe’s largest pools of technology talent. As we mentioned before, the number of Ukrainian software developers is careening towards the 300,000 milestone. Many Ukrainian developers are a part of offshoring/nearshoring units of Western Europe and North American companies. In recent years, the number of Ukrainian development companies has reached 5,000 organizations. An impressive number like this is a testament to the fact that software developers in Ukraine have a reputation for being dedicated, skilled and motivated, which makes them a valuable addition to global businesses. In fact, many world-known companies choose to hire developers in Ukraine, for example, Samsung, Netcracker, WarGaming, Sitecore, SimCorp, Magento, ABBYY, and Aricent, to name a few.

Communication

English is an official language used for communication between Ukrainian software engineers and their international counterparts. Thus, at least an upper-intermediate English proficiency level is a must to land a position at an IT company in Ukraine. The English level of Ukrainian developers can be described as “confident” when it comes to their speaking and writing skills. Thanks to the fact that English is taught as a second language in almost every educational institution in Ukraine, 80% of IT specialists can communicate their ideas clearly, read and write documentation in English. On top of that, most Ukrainian outsourcing companies have English classes on their perks list to maintain a high English proficiency level across the company. Developers from Kyiv and other cities in Ukraine can also take English classes with private tutors and courses. 

Time difference

Thanks to its geographical location, developers in Ukraine can work with minimal time differences with EU countries and the UK. For example, there is only a 1-hour time difference between Ukraine and Poland, and a 2-hour difference with the UK. When it comes to North America, the time difference between Ukraine and New York is just 7 hours. It means you can easily coordinate your daily stand-up meetings with your local team.

Culture

Cultural fit is a significant hiring criterion. In remote cooperation, it becomes even more important. Thus, Ukrainian outsourcing companies go the extra mile to source developers who not only deliver exceptional services but also share cultural values with their EU, UK, and North American counterparts. Fortunately, the cultural traditions in Ukraine and the Western world tend to align. When it comes to personal qualities, Ukrainian developers are known for their straightforwardness, directness, and honesty. Such traits help foster efficient communication and collaboration between remote units, as they prefer clear and direct interactions without unnecessary ambiguity and risks of misunderstanding.

Hiring developers in Ukraine: 9 secrets you should know

1. The tech talent pool in Ukraine is a unique repository of both niche-skilled specialists (Big Data, IoT, Blockchain) and IT professionals with general backgrounds (JavaScript, PHP, Java, Python, etc). 
2. Ukraine is home to numerous startups, including world-famous brands, such as Grammarly, GitLab, Preply. 
3. Ukraine offers unique cultural and geographic proximity to Europe and North America, where an individual’s aspirations depend on committing to the goal. Ukrainians value a healthy work-life balance while staying dedicated and motivated to grow as professionals.
4. Kyiv is the country’s biggest IT hub, so it’s easier to source developers from Kyiv than any other city. 
5. Another large IT hub, Lviv, is also a major tourist magnet thanks to the hospitality and ambiance of a historic city.
6. Odesa is a great outsourcing destination for those who love IT and with a sea view 🙂
7. In the past 10 years, the government has taken significant steps to foster IT development in Ukraine and attract investments in this field, so IT, as we know it today, has become one of the pillars of the Ukrainian economy. 
8. The biggest drivers of IT in Ukraine are the USA (40%) and the UK (10%).
9. Up to 17,000 IT graduates join the market each year. At the same time, over 60% of Ukrainian developers have 3+ years of commercial experience. 

In the end, we want to recap the key things you can expect when you hire developers in Ukraine:

• A solid educational background in one of the STEM fields;
• A strong English language proficiency;
• A large pool of engineers with a variety of specializations;
• Developers who will share your values, dedication, vision, and mindset;
• Time zone differences will be easy to work through.

In our success stories, you can find more information on how we added Ukrainian developers for companies worldwide. If you’re looking to source developers from Ukraine, feel free to contact us.