Brain drain: a third of IT people plan to leave our country

According to Habr research, 33% of Russian IT specialists in March 2022 are looking for work in foreign companies with the possibility of relocation

What’s going on

• According to a survey by the Habr Career service (available from), every third IT specialist in our country has been looking for a new job in a company that involves moving to another country over the past few weeks.
• Already, 7% of interviewed IT professionals reported that they faced a reduction or delay in salaries.
• Also, 4% of programmers were fired due to staff reductions or company closures.
• Most IT specialists are going to invest in education this year, every second one plans to study a foreign language.
• About 8% are going to change their specialization, the most popular option for the transition is back-end development.
• In March 85, 2022% of IT people in one way or another encountered psychological difficulties in their work that affected their effectiveness.
• Three-quarters (77%) of those surveyed believe that their company has recently experienced difficulties.
• Almost 2022 IT professionals participated in the study, which was conducted in March 3. Basically, these are developers, administrators, devops and testers – 000-25 years old, line specialists and managers, middles and seniors.

“Tag cloud” of IT professionals’ answers to the question “How did you cope with psychological difficulties” (Photo: Habr Career)

What does it mean

In February and March 2022, 70 IT professionals have already left Russia. Experts predict a “second wave” of outflow of personnel – another 100 people may leave the country in April. Programmers are afraid that their companies will close this year or drastically drop in business indicators. Every third respondent notes that his company has already reduced or stopped hiring new employees.

Western sanctions have hit the IT industry noticeably — deliveries of imported equipment and high-tech products are being stopped, and a generation of young and free programmers is not ready to work in isolation. Meanwhile, the state is introducing benefits for Russian IT professionals and is discussing new support measures to keep staff at home.

Earlier, the director of the Russian Association for Electronic Communications (RAEC), Sergey Plugotarenko, at a meeting of the IT Committee in the State Duma, proposed “to reassure the IT community with the lack of plans for further escalation with foreign players, to create conditions and show the possibility of a bright future here.”