How to Help Ukrainian Developers Now?

The Ukrainian IT sphere is called the most promising sector for the development of the economy. According to the Cabinet of Ministers, in 2019, information technology accounted for 3.9% of GDP UAH 138 billion.
The state treasury was replenished by UAH 32 billion in taxes. This compares to infrastructure and transportation taxes of $29.4 billion. Each employed IT professional employs an average of 11 people in other industries.

Ukraine is traditionally considered one of the European leaders in agro and heavy industry. Even 15-20 years ago, the Ukrainian economy was firmly based on the export of steel and grain, and seriously risked remaining raw materials for a long time.
The situation changed dramatically when technology broke into the game. The rise of the IT industry in recent years brings Ukraine closer to the number of developed countries.
However, due to the Russian invasion, literally, all sectors of the Ukrainian economy suffer. Thats why it is extremely important to support Ukrainian developers and therefore help Ukraine to stand against Russia.
So how can we help?

Hire Ukrainian Developers

Ukrainian software programmers are recognized as one of the strongest IT professionals in the world due to their skills and knowledge. Technical knowledge, knowledge of various languages including English on a high level, and knowledge of new disciplines such as AI, big data, blockchain, etc. It is not surprising that an increasing number of international giants hires developers in Ukraine to create advanced software solutions.
Ukrainian software programmers are aware of the most popular programming languages: Java (17.8%), C# (14%), JavaScript (17.7%), PHP (12%), and Python (10.9%). Ukraine ranks 1st in the world in terms of game developers and C++ engineers. The second place is in the number of JavaScript, Scala, and Magento developers.
There are 1,500 IT companies in Ukraine that offer almost all types of software services, including web and mobile development, UI/UX development, R&D creation, IT consulting, analytics, and more.
Global market leaders have already shown interest in the local startup scene, leading to several major acquisitions. The total volume of venture investments in Ukrainian startups in 2017 reached 258 million US dollars and 336.9 million US dollars in 2018 and is growing steadily.
Ukraine is a country with one of the 50 most innovative economies in the world. Many of international companies entered the Ukrainian market through mergers and acquisitions, joint research, and development.
The work ethic that dominates the IT outsourcing industry in Ukraine is very similar to the Western one. Ukrainian developers are not just performers - they are open to challenges and confrontation, personally involved in the projects they work on, and interested in contributing to their success.
How to hire world-class engineers? Obviously, you need to appeal to online engineering marketplaces such as Engre. These platforms provide a wide range of services that are proposed by true professionals with an average software developer salary. And you will definitely find Ukrainians there! Whether you need an engineering solution or software development, you can be sure that Ukrainians will cope with any complicated task.

Help the Ukrainian IT Army

Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine Mykhailo Fedorov announced the creation of an IT army.
IT Army implies people who are engaged in the digital sphere and could help to stand Russian aggression in the information field. Generally, it is a wide range of professions including programmers, software developers, digital marketing managers, etc. The minister encourages Ukrainians to join the army and share their experience and knowledge. This will help fight on the cyber front. Everyone could find a task that will contribute to Ukraine.

Support Ukrainian IT-Startups

During the war, business leaders who provide jobs became evacuation coordinators, military strategists, humanitarian aid providers, and in some cases financiers of the Ukrainian army. Startups such as StarWind use their technical ingenuity, distributed workforce, and relative agility, as they are small in size to mitigate both the blow to business and the human catastrophe of war.
For the CEOs who run these startups and their deputies, the usual tasks of developing code and increasing sales are no longer so important. They were replaced by the development of a map of evacuation routes and the payment of colleagues who went to defend the country.
Ukrainian startup Lemon.io, an online marketplace for job-seeking software engineers, donates all its profits to the military at the end of each month. "Now it's about $ 124 thousand. The company also donates to organizations that purchase drones for the army," said its CEO Alexander Volodarsky.
"When the staff decided to go into service, the team raised more than $ 30,000 to purchase army sleeping bags and rugs, radio amateurs, and other communications equipment," said Oleg Roginsky, CEO of People.ai Inc., a software development company. He has lived in Silicon Valley for more than ten years.
Google Corporation announced the creation of a fund to support startups in Ukraine in the amount of $5 million to provide cash grants during 2022.
Today, we are announcing the creation of a $4 million Google Support Fund for Startups in Ukraine to provide non-equity cash grants throughout 2022," Google said in a statement.
"Select Ukrainian startups will be announced on an ongoing basis, and they will also receive up to $99,000 in equity funding, as well as ongoing Google mentoring, product support, and Cloud credits.
This practical support is designed to help Ukrainian entrepreneurs maintain and grow their businesses.
No Product Companies Without Outsourcing
Any specialist from the industry knows that these segments do not contradict, but complement each other. Thanks to outsourcing, a Ukrainian programmer can compete fairly with specialists of the same level from the UK, France, and the USA.

There is an opportunity to grow professionally, adopting experience from foreign clients with a worldwide reputation. By the number of outsourcing IT companies, Ukraine ranks first in Europe and fourth in the world.
Back in 2015, there were just over 89,000 Ukrainian programmers. Today, we employ more than 4,000 companies and almost 200,000 engineers.
Despite the image of an outsourcer that has been entrenched in Ukraine, we also create products and launch startups for users from all over the world. Some of the most popular Ukrainian products abroad are MEGOGO, Petcube, Preply, Ajax Systems, GitLab and others.
But what is interesting: one employee of a service company brings in 28% more foreign exchange earnings than a specialist from a grocery company. No, no one says that any option is better or worse. Dry facts to "think about". It is definitely worth developing both segments of the IT business.
The Ukrainian IT-sphere has been formed and continues to grow on outsourcing companies. According to Kharkiv IT Cluster, under favorable market conditions, by 2025, tax revenues to the state and local budgets alone from Kharkiv IT companies will reach more than UAH 16 billion.