This year, Belarusian IT companies have hired over 1,000 foreign information technology specialists. 65% of them arrive from Russia, with the rest coming from Ukraine, United States and Germany.
Professionals arrive, often with their families, to join service projects implemented for such companies as Microsoft, Netflix, SAP and Jaguar, as well as food companies and startups. IT specialists are attracted by European-level wages, social protection and technical expertise of local companies, whose work is aimed at exporting: 90% of the Belarusian IT sector is oriented towards the US or European markets, with local startups purchased by such giants as Google and Facebook.
The average minimum monthly wage of a senior developer in Minsk is RUR 130,000 ($2,090) and may often reach RUR 250,000-300,000. According to representatives of leading IT companies operating in the Belarusian market, there is no glass ceiling for top developers, whose wages may reach RUR 400,000 ($6,410) and more. Meanwhile, the cost of living in the city is not very high, with monthly expenses of 72% of local IT professionals being lower than their monthly pay.
“There is a demand in Minsk for professionals at all levels such as experienced programmers, food product specialists, managers and business analysts who seek engaging projects and good salary. Minsk has a megalopolis infrastructure combined with comfortable and quite atmosphere of a medium-sized city. This means that non-residents do not have to change their life patterns by getting used to traffic congestion and traveling large distance, or avoiding ‘bad’ districts,” says Artyom Kontsevoy, founder of the Minsk.page online city guide and dev.by website.