Only yesterday, IT specialists in Russia were on horseback: immediately after the departure of Western companies, they were snapped up like hot cakes. Employers staged real salary auctions, inflating price tags and offering conditions that could not be refused. But the end of 2024 brought into Russian IT something similar to the 90s: an avalanche of cuts, total "optimization" and dead silence in the press releases of companies. The time of the "golden IT guys" is over, and it ended painfully.
"Silent" cuts: how it works
Layoffs began at the beginning of 2024, but at first no one noticed them. Companies preferred to act carefully: some were fired "by agreement of the parties", some were fired through reorganization, the newspaper reported on December 16 The Bell in your mailing list (available by subscription). Entire teams flew out the door, but in the public space they continued to pretend that everything was fine. And why? How to explain to a country where IT specialists were called the future of the economy that they are now being fired in batches?
"They say: well, yes, they fired, well, yes, a whole department, but this is not a reduction - this is just optimization," said one of the recruiting specialists. Such phrases are heard more and more often, while developers are massively entering the labor market. Retired departments fall straight into the hands of recruiters, who are no longer surprised. "Whole teams come to us, 5-10 people at once. These are the times," adds another expert.
Causes of the crisis: who is to blame?
The reasons for what is happening are simple to the point of banality. The Russian economy has shrunk due to the Central Bank's record key rate, which has risen to 21% since the summer of 2023. For companies, this turned out to be one thing: it became insanely expensive to borrow. There is no more money for large projects, and those that "did not shoot" are sent to the shelf. "The economy is in the ass. It seems that everyone remembers the shortage of IT specialists, and that everyone was so needed — But now there is no money for development. The sphere is collapsing," — said one of the sources of The Bell.
At the same time, problems are visible in all segments:
- VK and MTS deny large-scale cuts, but according to sources, a sharp decline in profits makes their steps inevitable.
- U of the group "Samolet" Real estate sales collapsed. The company said that it had "streamlined the structure," and the staff of developers was kind of retained — only somewhere out there, beyond the thin line of truth.
- In Sberbank They cut development budgets and get rid of contractors. The number of new IT products is minimized.
- From an office software manufacturer MyOffice, designed to replace Microsoft Office, the problems escalated into a complete manual update and mass cleanups.
The high cost of money, a general slowdown in the economy, and constant blows to consumer activity combined into a perfect storm for IT companies. Businesses are trying to squeeze the most out of every penny, and this means saying goodbye to "expensive" personnel and the complete closure of some areas. "Top employees who receive the highest salaries are sent home first. Now no one can afford such a level of costs," the interlocutors share.
Will there be no thaw?
When everyone was waiting for the rapid development of the IT industry in 2022, few people thought that in a couple of years everything would come down to austerity. Russia hoped to build its own analogues of Western software, but the result was only local solutions, which are still far from the world level. At the same time, companies can no longer retain bloated staff. The demand for IT remains, but who will pay for developers?
One of the main illustrations of the crisis was the bet: "very expensive employees" are no longer just searched for less often, they are avoided like fire. "Salaries have been growing for years, and projects have not brought profit. The euphoria passed, and cruel austerity began," the recruiter said.
Now the market is looking for those who are ready to work for less money. Small startups survive due to custom solutions and low salaries, and large corporations reduce risks and remove the "unnecessary" link.
IT market: only a dark tunnel lies ahead
It is obvious that the Russian IT market is facing a tipping point. If earlier at interviews, developers rolled out a list of conditions, now employers dictate the rules. The "golden age" — when IT specialists were the kings of the labor market — is over. Now they, like marketers or lawyers, are forced to fight for every job.
How long will this "optimization" last? Experts are sure that until the economic situation changes, new projects and high salaries in IT can be considered a myth. And while the public space will talk about economic growth, departments within companies will be reduced. It is not IT specialists who are to blame for this, but the reality in which there is simply no more money for development.
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