Only a third of Ukrainian food companies increased the number of specialists in the second half of 2023. Almost half are in the red.
These are the data published DOU.
The rating takes into account specialists who are physically located in Ukraine and those who are abroad but continue to pay taxes here.
The most important conclusions:
- In total, the 30 largest product IT companies in Ukraine employ 27.7 thousand specialists, of which 16.6 thousand, or 60%, are technical;
- In the second half of 2023, these food companies hired 2.7 thousand new specialists in Ukraine;
- The most popular domain is GameDev. Six companies operate in this field. Other common ones are Telecom, e-Commerce, FinTech, Software Development;
- According to the companies, more than half of them have their headquarters in Kyiv. Four are based in the United States and three in Israel.
What has changed in the top 5?
The five largest product IT companies in Ukraine are Evoplay, Ajax Systems, Genesis, AUTODOC, and Netcracker.
Before the full-scale invasion, they were growing in Ukraine, but after the invasion, only two companies maintained positive dynamics:
- Ajax Systems (+1244 specialists in two years);
- Genesis (+799 specialists in two years);
- Last year, Evoplay had negative dynamics for the first time (-840 specialists for the year).
- The AUTODOC and Netcracker teams in Ukraine did shrink after the start of the great war, but the former resumed growth.
One third of companies launched new projects
The second half of 2023 was a time of active project development and launch of new ones for only a third of companies. About the same number of Ukrainian specialists who are now abroad have been legalized.
Three companies reported layoffs, and three more experienced organizational changes and the closure of some areas.
Hiring leaders: SKELAR, Genesis and Uklon
One third of the companies had positive dynamics in the second half of 2023, and another 14 had negative dynamics. We do not have data on the dynamics of five companies, and BetterMe has a stable number of specialists.
SKELAR became the growth leader in the second half of 2023 (+258 specialists in six months, or +46%). This was driven by the launch of new portfolio companies and a threefold increase in early-stage businesses.
This year, SKELAR will continue to hire to build tech businesses that will enter global markets. Currently, the company is actively looking for specialists in marketing and analytical domains: media buying (UAM), creative marketing, PPC, and data analytics.
Genesis is in second place (+145 specialists in six months). We are currently focused on finding performance marketers, analysts, business developers, and are always looking for talented developers.
Uklon has the same increase. The service entered the markets of Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan, and launched a number of products (new car classes) in Ukraine. We also strengthened the Delivery team and launched courier delivery. The plans for 2024 are to strengthen positions in expansion countries, launch new products within Uklon, and hire new specialists.
- MEGOGO has grown by 120 specialists in six months. This is due to the development of projects and entry into new markets. The company has already successfully launched in Poland and plans to enter several more countries soon. This involves hiring new specialists in Ukraine as well.
- Ajax Systems has expanded its team (+95 specialists) by expanding its product portfolio to 135 devices and introducing video surveillance devices. We have scaled up R&D teams in Kyiv, Lviv, and Vinnytsia. The company always hires Embedded, C/C++, Java, Python, Hardware Developers, as well as QA and RF Engineers. Created a specialized AI team.
- Kyivstar.Tech, which has only recently entered the market as a new IT company (in 2022), has grown by 68 specialists, or 16%, in six months. The company said it was developing in line with its strategy. This year, it will continue to improve products and services within the «Kyivstar» ecosystem and enter into partnership agreements with new customers. The company has recently acquired its first customers. The hiring process is focused on Middle and Senior specialists in both IT and Digital.
- Nova Digital has a similar growth rate: +61 specialists in six months, or +14%. According to the company, they are currently in a phase of intensive development. Architects, PHP developers, cybersecurity specialists, and administrators are constantly required. There are plans to launch new products for the NOVA group abroad and in Ukraine, as well as new products for external customers.
14 companies showed negative dynamics. This is mainly due to organizational changes and the employment of specialists abroad
Evoplay decreased the most in the second half of 2023: minus 640 specialists in six months. This is due to the closure/optimization of non-profitable areas, the reduction of low performers, and the relocation of staff.
Playrix team in Ukraine decreased by 318 specialists due to re-registration abroad.
- Netcracker does not comment on the decrease of 140 specialists in six months.
- Boosta has minus 122 specialists in six months. As explained in the company, this was due to the separation of some projects into the ecosystem of the Burner investment fund; legalization of specialists abroad; partial hiring of specialists from abroad; reduction of specialists at one of the company’s projects; and the closure of two R&D projects.
- SQUAD explained the reduction of the Ukrainian team by 71 specialists by the fact that some people abroad have completed legalization. Currently, the existing team is completing plans for business development in Ukraine.
- EVO has lost 69 employees in six months, as the «Vchasno» service and ZakupkiProm platform split from the group in the summer and became part of the newly created Tabula Rasa. EVO plans to expand its staff this year.
After January 1, 2024, as of which the data in the ranking is presented, numerous layoffs took place in game development companies:
- In the first half of January, about 100 specialists were laid off from Playtika’s Ukrainian team. The wave of layoffs also affected offices in other countries, including Hungary.
- In February, it became known about layoffs at Plarium, but there is no data on their extent.
- Gameloft’s Lviv office laid off 38 specialists due to resource optimization. However, the company expects the return of specialists who served in the Armed Forces soon.