Ukrainian IT is gradually recovering from the turbulence of 2019-2023. Despite the ongoing war, Ukrainian developers continue to provide services to companies worldwide, working overtime from shelters but delivering tasks at 100%.
The Ukrainian IT market increased by almost $550 million from 2022 to 2023, according to Statista research. The dominant direction, as expected, was IT outsourcing services for the development and support of digital solutions, with an index reaching 35.4.
This indicates the popularity of outsourcing to Ukraine on the international stage and the willingness of professionals, despite everything, to work and contribute to the budget with taxes, supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Experts at Lampa Software have explored the IT market in Ukraine and prepared a brief overview. Here, you will find out why it's better to hire developers from Ukraine for software development.
Why Consider Hiring Developers from Ukraine?
Companies from almost every country worldwide are involved in the market for outsourcing IT services. Some offer maximum quality software solutions, while others offer minimal project costs. However, the conspirator always receives a set of compromises, such as:
High quality usually corresponds to a corresponding price.
Low cost comes with similar quality.
Geographic peculiarities can lead to issues with activity time or communication.
Mental aspects or a specific corporate culture.
Absence of risk management, and more.
In the case of Ukrainian developers, you get a full range of services at an adequate cost without compromising decisions. Evaluate a few more advantages of collaborating with tech talent in Ukraine.
Quality-to-Cost Ratio
If you hire developers from Ukraine, you will get an optimal quality-to-cost ratio for software solutions. This is because Ukrainian professionals undergo a complete training path from Junior to Senior, developing in several directions simultaneously. This ensures maximum quality for your digital products.
Regarding cost, most outsourced Ukrainian developers and companies work at internal market rates. These rates are significantly lower than, for example, in the USA or Western Europe.
Adaptability
Ukraine, located in the center of Europe with time zones +2/+3 GMT, allows working with most countries on the continent almost seamlessly and flexibly with distant partners (USA).
Regardless of the client's and their team's location, Ukrainian developers adjust their schedule to be constantly in touch. You can synchronize work processes and achieve maximum cooperative productivity.
Wide Range of Specializations
Tech talent in Ukraine rarely specializes in just one technology, programming language, or methodology. Typically, experts from this region are Full-Stack developers working on projects of various scales and industries.
This simplifies the process of selecting candidates for the project and partially optimizes the resources you need to allocate to cover all development tasks and needs.
The Ukrainian Tech Industry: An Overview
Recent research from the ACC (American Chamber of Commerce Ukraine). highlights the profitability of outsourcing to Ukraine. As of the end of 2022, over 72% of IT companies had fully resumed operations in Ukraine, while an additional 27% had partially restarted their activities.
Regarding the compensation of IT professionals, 83% returned to the full-rate model within the first six months of the war, while 16% were forced to partially reduce employee payments.
The primary challenge for IT companies, in 71% of cases, is the safety of employees, followed by logistical challenges at 44%, the absence of clients/orders at 34%, and refusals from employers at 33% (usually due to risk management by large corporations).
Over the past year, the situation has somewhat stabilized and improved, primarily through the comprehensive integration of a risk management model, which involves timely project closures and their proper quality. Lastly, the professionalism of tech talent in Ukraine has played a crucial role.
Skills and Expertise of Ukrainian Developers
Ukrainian professionals excel in terms of talent and skill levels. This is because the domestic market sets quite stringent requirements for employment.
Precisely for this reason, outsourcing companies like Lampa Software have a team of versatile IT specialists with excellent soft and hard skills. The most prevalent programming languages in the region are:
Java
C#
JavaScript
Python
Ruby
PHP
Additionally, there is a wide array of various frameworks, such as:
RoR
Angular
Node
Django
Flusk
Flutter
React
It's worth noting that the average skill level of specialists is not lower than Middle+. Moreover, Ukrainian developers work across virtually every industry, including:
Logistics
E-commerce
Entertainment
Healthcare
Public sector
Fitness
Gaming
Real estate
Communications
This is far from an exhaustive list of sectors with which Ukrainian IT professionals collaborate, and they do so for relatively modest (by global standards) financial rewards.
Cost of Hiring Developers from Ukraine
To begin with, pay attention to the average monthly salaries of IT specialists in Ukraine:
A Senior professional earns around $60,000 per year, whereas a hypothetical Middle professional in the United States receives over $74,000 for the same period. As for the cost of hiring developers from Ukraine, there are offers ranging from $25-50 per hour, significantly lower than the rates in Western Europe, the United States, and Israel.
In other words, hiring professionals from Ukraine is economically advantageous, even if the client is located, for example, in Poland.
Legal Aspects of Outsourcing to Ukraine
Regarding legal aspects, there is generally no need to worry. If you choose an expert contractor (such as Lampa Software), you will be offered to sign three key documents:
SRS. Specifies the requirements you set for the product and accepts the work based on them.
NDA. A contract about non-disclosure of cooperation terms and confidential information, including the product.
SOW. A comprehensive cooperation agreement that can be expanded with new clauses as per the client's requirements.
From a legal perspective, you thus receive transparent conditions that guarantee the maximum quality for your project, adherence to deadlines, and more.
Steps to Successfully Hire Ukrainian Developers
In reality, it's not that difficult to find talented professionals in Ukraine to work on a project. All you need to do is follow our recommendations.
Today, there will only be three recommendations since discussing the salary differences between cities or regions is impractical. It is also impractical to compare the skills of professionals or their experience in industries, which is a fairly generalized indicator for the entire country.
Monitoring Ranking Platforms
Ukrainian professionals (outsourcing companies) are represented internationally, so it's worth starting the search on platforms like G2, TrustPilot, and DesignRush.
There, you will see the team's profile and real reviews about their past projects.
Considering Experience and Portfolio
If you like a particular company, check its website as well as its portfolio. Typically, current cases and projects are published there, allowing you to immediately assess whether their experience suits your needs.
Choose wisely, as not all teams consistently work with specific industries. This aspect is worth discussing in advance.
Interview/Test task
Contact a representative of the company and discuss the key nuances of the project and collaboration in general. Ensure that there are experts in the team who work with your technical stack and have experience in your industry.
Propose a test task to evaluate communication and organizational aspects.
Summary
Outsourcing to Ukraine is an economically justified investment in developing your IT projects. Professionals in this country deliver quality work at reasonable prices.
If you need professionals to create a digital solution for your business at a reasonable cost, delegate the project to Ukrainian developers, such as the team at Lampa Software.