IT sector of Odesa region today: what helps to work in the face of staff outflow and blackouts

Before the full-scale war with Russia, the IT sector in Odesa region was among the top 5 in terms of growth. In 2021, there was a significant increase in IT FOPs of more than 20% per year. According to the IT Ukraine Association, before the full-scale invasion, there were more than 150 IT companies operating in the city, employing about 10,000 specialists. With the outbreak of a full-scale war, this sector of the economy, like others, has been hit. Challenges included staff outflow, mobilization, and power outages. However, at the same time, remote work has made it possible to survive in the long run. We have investigated the current situation in the IT sector of Odesa region and determined how to work in the war and what to expect.

Staff outflow and loss of local networking

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, all sectors of the economy have faced the outflow of personnel, and the IT sector has not been spared this problem. Currently, according to Djinni, about 55% of Odesa IT specialists are considering relocation abroad. In Ukraine as a whole, 47% of the surveyed IT professionals plan to move to another country. Therefore, the potential outflow of personnel is higher in Odesa. The reasons cited include security issues, salaries that are at least one-third higher abroad, power outages, and family circumstances.

Among the most popular relocation destinations are Poland, Germany, Portugal, the Baltic States, and the Netherlands. A Tech Hub for Ukrainian IT professionals has opened in Berlin. Tech Hub is a part of Unity Hub Berlin, the first European Center for Ukrainian Unity, opened with the support of the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, Diia City Union, and Kharkiv IT Cluster.

Odesa's networking scene has undergone a significant reduction. There is much less live communication. For the most part, specialists communicate in Telegram chats. This blurs the boundaries of the Odesa IT community, as people from other cities and countries join the channels in the messenger. One-time online events don't really help the situation, as they don't form lasting connections between people.

Demand for remote work

The IT sector has remained relatively stable thanks to outsourcing. Remote work has allowed specialists to adapt to the war conditions. The survey showed that more than 90% of Odesa IT professionals work remotely. However, the energy crisis and blackouts have created conditions under which foreign companies have become cautious about hiring Ukrainian staff. Massive contract terminations were avoided thanks to the introduction of Starlink, guarantees and tools for task tracking, and coworking spaces. Many spaces invested in generators, batteries, and alternative power sources. This allowed people to work even when there was almost no electricity.

Selection of vacancies and current salaries

IT jobs with a remote format are searched for on various platforms, mainly on Robota.ua, Work.ua, DOU, as well as on foreign and international resources.

In 2025, DOU recorded a 30 percent increase in the number of vacancies across Ukraine. And the growth continues. The most sought-after specialists are in development (SE), marketing, HR, and AI/ML. The demand for defense tech and military specialists is growing separately, with a 7-fold increase. On the contrary, the share of vacancies for technical specialists decreased by 2% in 2025. Jobs related to content creation did not show any growth. This is attributed to the spread of AI usage.

In March, there were 7987 vacancies on DOU, which is 1,500 more than in March last year. The last time the figure was higher was in January 2022.

According to Jooble, as of April 22, 2026, an IT specialist in Ukraine earns an average of 46,218 ₴ per month. According to the Work.ua platform, the average salary in the IT, computers, internet category in Odesa is 30,000 UAH. This is a median salary based on data from 357 jobs posted on Work.ua in this category in Odesa.

How the state helps

During the period of martial law, the criteria for joining Diia.City (a special legal regime for IT companies) were simplified in terms of average salary and number of employees. The scope of activities of companies that can become residents of the space was also expanded. Now, tech companies involved in the production of products for defense, industrial and consumer sectors, international payment systems, and cloud solutions can join Diia.City.

According to Opendatabot, as of early 2026, 61 companies from Odesa region were registered in the Diia.City system, which is less than 2% of the total number of residents.

IT specialists can get a deferral through reservations at "critical" enterprises in the Odesa OVA if the company meets the criteria. In Odesa, the number of reserved IT workers is lower than the average for Ukraine. The mobilized IT specialists serve in their specialty in the digital transformation of the Armed Forces, receiving officer ranks.

Thus, the IT sector of Odesa region has to deal with such challenges as staff outflow, reduced live communication between specialists, and power outages in wartime. However, thanks to remote work and successful technical solutions, this sector is recovering, and the vacancy rate is gradually increasing.

Юлія Калабайда