Top Software Development Services for Companies — Why Ukraine?
The Ukrainian IT industry is growing by leaps and bounds (20% annually). By 2025, it is expected to export services worth $8.4 billion. High quality of education, a vast talent pool, and knowledge of emerging fields like AI, big data, and blockchain, are only some of the strengths its experts offer.
Outsourcing to Ukraine allows brands from the EU and North America to develop powerful solutions at a lower cost. Local software development services are used by such giants as Ernst & Young, Jaguar, and Guinness. Ukraine is the second biggest outsourcing market in Central and Eastern Europe. Here are eight reasons why.
1. Strong Skills and Education
Most developers in Ukraine (75%) have at least one high education degree. The country boasts over 400 colleges and universities, and the sheer number of science graduates is higher than in Norway, Japan, Sweden, or Belgium. Over 36,000 students graduate with technical skills. Tech companies develop courses for STEM students that contribute to modernizing the educational system.
2. IT is the Most Popular Career Field
For Ukrainians, the IT sector is the most attractive in terms of salaries and career prospects, which explains high motivation. In addition to graduates with IT degrees, the industry is also seeing an influx of talent from related fields. The overwhelming majority of tech and team leads, senior project managers, product managers, data science engineers and HR managers find their job inspiring.
3. Good Value for Money
Ukraine does not have the lowest hourly rates for developers in the world. Yet, local salaries are significantly lower than in Western Europe and North America. Even compared to the Czech Republic and Poland, software development costs in Ukraine are more competitive, while the talent pool is wider.
Ukrainian software development companies follow best agile practices and always find the most efficient way to communicate with customers, even from different time zones. The specialists have expertise in various industries and eagerly accept long-term projects.
On average, software developers earn between $25 and $50 per hour depending on their level (Junior/Senior). In the West, tech experts with comparable qualifications could earn $100 per hour!
4. No Language Barrier
It is hard to find a Ukrainian developer who does not speak English at least on the intermediate level. Around 85% of local experts have strong language skills, which means that there is little or no communication barrier. The majority of local companies organize English classes for staff.
5. Global Mindset
Although Ukraine was once part of the USSR, it now shares Western business culture. Local programmers have strong problem-solving and communication skills. The ways they organize their processes and policies are aligned with European and American values. They are defined by open discussions instead of rigid formalized communication, personal involvement in projects, and commitment to shared success.
6. Engineers Gain Experience Faster
Most software developers in Ukraine are employed by tech firms that provide outsourcing. This allows them to gain experience relatively quickly in comparison with their counterparts in the biggest Western hubs like Silicon Valley. They interact with more diverse industries, niches, and technologies. Usually, local specialists work for 1-2 years to become junior programmers, 3-4 years to become middle tech specialists, and over 5 years to get to the senior level.
7. Convenient Time Zone
Local programmers share 7 business hours with most Western companies. As Ukraine is in the GMT+2 time zone, it is only one hour ahead of most countries in the EU. This is also ideal for communication with clients in North America.
In comparison, if a client based in London hires developers in the Philippines, they will share just 3 business hours. For an American company based on the East Coast, working with Ukrainian firms is more convenient than outsourcing to Vietnam or India.
Geographic proximity to Europe also makes business travel easier. Direct flights from Ukraine to major tech hubs in Europe take 2-3 hours on average. What’s more, clients from the EU can travel to Ukraine without a visa.
8. More Working Hours and Days
Finally, Ukrainian employees work between 40 and 60 hours a week on average — longer than their counterparts in the US (37.5), the UK (36.04), and Germany (32.77). Moreover, the country has fewer universal observed public holidays than in Poland, the Czech Republic, and many other European countries. In total, there are just 11 paid public holidays.
