Software development in the Ukraine: is it worth it?

Software development in the Ukraine: is it worth it?

Introduction

Deciding to outsource your software development project is a big thing indeed, and choosing the right partner is very crucial. The global market is really very wide when it comes to choosing IT talent, and there are many countries in Asia and Eastern Europe offering their services through various pricing models. Companies can choose their preferred pricing model based on this and engage the developers for continued maintenance and support. 

Countries like India and Ukraine are at the top of the list when it comes to ‘best outsourcing partners in software development’. In this article we will explore the possibilities of outsourcing to Ukraine and whether it will be as worthwhile as you would want it to be. 

Outsourcing to Ukraine

Ukraine has evolved to be one of the best outsourcing destinations in the world, and for the past couple of years, the country has been providing a steady stream of developers. The British Organisation Global Sourcing Association released information that Ukraine has been selected as the ‘winner of the Delivery Destination of the Year’. 

The country has been doing really well in terms of outsourcing, providing quality code at excellent, affordable rates. 

What the war did to Ukraine

The Russian invasion in Ukraine has changed the situation in the country, but thankfully the outsourcing sector remained almost the same. The country still remained alluring for companies. 

Yes, many of the staff had to flee their homes, but Ukraine software development companies managed to relocate most of their staff and continued with their projects in a very short time. 

While the war was waging, many of the companies in the field of software development relocated their staff (especially the tech hub of Lviv) to the western part of the country, as this was spared during the war. 

A fact about Ukraine was that the industry grew at an incredible rate before the war and offered people the highest wages in the country. There were plenty of jobs around, and skilled programmers were busy. Science and technology, health and culture were the most popular fields during this time. Developers from Ukrainian cities like Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk were in huge demand because of the quality of work delivered. 

True, that work was reduced during the time of the war, and the capacity was down to 80% of the actual capacity, but hopefully this will improve over time. The major chunk of work that was done in the country was service exporting, and this allowed for remote working and outsourcing and most of all, flexible working hours. The invasion truly threatens the country’s progress because Ukraine was the third largest country for export in technology. 

Thankfully, while the war did its best to rip off the morale that Ukraine has built over the years, the technology sector consists of people with a global perspective and the spirit of the people are indeed very strong and they were ready to push up and go beyond. 

It is important for the European companies that the Ukrainian IT sector remain at the top or else it would drastically affect  their work and projects. It could practically cripple the West if the Ukrainian IT sector collapses. Not only would the talented people lose their jobs, but it would also heavily affect the economic system of the country. 

• The war did affect Ukraine outsourcing
• Staff had to relocate
• But projects were completed even though the number of outsourced work was down
• The IT staffs were people with a global perspective, and they continued to work
• Continuous war can harm the country’s tech sector

Since the EU and its member states have stood united in their support for Ukraine, they condemned the military aggressions that Russia is subjecting the country to. So if you are looking to support the country and its technology sector, outsourcing work would be a good move.

Outsourcing your work to Ukraine – the benefits

1. The talent pool is huge and incredible

Did you know that Stack Overflow reported that about half of the Ukrainian software developers actually outsource their service? Sounds like a huge number of developers that’s available for work there, right? You have a huge number of really talented and skilled developers in Ukraine, and the number has been steadily increasing. 

2. The quality of work is good

Software developers in Ukraine churns out quality code, and you can be assured that they definitely work to ensure your projects meet quality regulations globally. Since the country has been providing quality developers for a very long time now, you can be assured that they are impressively experienced. You can even find developers worth more than 10 years of experience, so you don’t have to dictate anything to them. Just name your requirement, and the work will be done.

3. The government is understanding 

The Ukrainian government has been very understanding and has adapted its legislation to suit the working of both the outsourcing team and the employer. The companies usually hire developers as contractors or as self-employed people so that the taxes are lower. This is because the outsourcing contractors have set their prices so low. This is also why a steady stream of work has been going to the country.

4. Easy-going people, open for discussions

The communication skills of the Ukrainian people are really good. They are fun-long people who are open for discussions and are ready to meet with their clients during their work hours. This makes it highly convenient for companies based in Europe. 

Final Thoughts

Ukraine is indeed a dynamic industry, and it might take more than a Russian invasion to bring it down. However, the talent in Ukraine is indeed very notable and commendable, and the skill of the developers are highly regarded. 

If the conflict continues, then chances are that it would dent a hole in the country’s IT sector and soon it would lose its shine as one of the best IT hubs in the world. This could be disadvantageous to companies who have ongoing work in the country. However, the hope is that there would still be freelancers operating out of the country, but it would definitely not be as widespread as it once was. International outsourcing companies would have to resort to other countries to get their tasks done. 

Ukraine is still going strong, it is definitely worthwhile to send your software development projects there, and you will have to discuss with the concerned software development partner in the country to see how they will manage your projects, and what steps they have taken to proceed with yours if the situation worsens. 

We hope this has helped you form an opinion about outsourcing your work to Ukraine. Do share your comments on how outsourcing your project has been, and the experiences you have had with outsourcing. 

Interesting Links:

Are the software developers in Ukraine the best?

Want to know the salary of a Ukrainian Software Developer?

Pictures: Canva

The author: Sascha Thattil works at Software-Developer-India.com which is a part of the YUHIRO Group. YUHIRO is a German-Indian enterprise which provides programmers to IT companies, agencies and IT departments.