IT market of Belarus

Main article: Information technologies in Belarus

2024: Why Russian IT companies are increasingly opening offices in Belarus

Russian IT companies are increasingly opening offices in Belarus - primarily in Minsk. The volume of free space in the Belarusian capital during 2023 decreased from 20% to 12%. This is stated in the study, the results of which were released in mid-April 2024.

Offices in Belarus are created by Russian technology companies, government agencies and financial organizations. So, on April 15, 2024, Tinkoff announced the formation of a head IT hub in Minsk. For this, an area of ​ ​ about 10 thousand square meters was rented in a business complex located in the center of Minsk. The project of the Tinkoff group has become one of the largest transactions in the office real estate market of the Belarusian capital in several years (by April 2024).

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Office space in Belarus, according to the Kommersant newspaper, is in demand among Russian IT companies for several reasons. Before the start of a special operation in Ukraine, Minsk was a convenient starting point for specialists who wanted to cooperate with foreign companies. In the current geopolitical situation, corporations began to gradually leave Belarus and take out employees, and the workers remaining in this country work mainly for Russian companies.

IT specialists who moved to Minsk say that working from the Belarusian capital is more profitable than from Moscow. The fact is that prices in Minsk are lower even in the most prestigious residential complexes or districts, while salaries are on average comparable to Moscow's.

It makes sense to look for specialists in Belarus for Russian projects, because the situation in the Russian Federation is also ambiguous. Many have left, and not everyone can work in a remote format, because a number of companies have appropriate restrictions, "emphasizes Roman Dimenko, director of Spb-Dev.[1]

2022: The number of IT specialists in Belarus for the year decreased by 2.2 thousand people

In 2022, approximately 137.9 thousand employees worked in the IT sector and the telecommunications sector of Belarus. Such data in early September 2023 was published by the National Statistical Committee of the Republic of Belarus (Belstat).

In February 2023, Belstat published preliminary information on the number of IT specialists: it was said that by the end of 2022 their number was 105.8 thousand people. This is about 2.2 thousand less compared to the figure for 2021. However, the value is not given in the final results. Belstat also stopped publishing information on the average number of employees in the IT sector: this is the number of people who worked under an employment contract (contract) and performed permanent or temporary work one day or more. In December 2022, there were 41.9 thousand such employees in Belarus - this is 10 thousand less compared to the last month of 2021.

Since January 2023, Belstat has stopped publishing information on the dynamics of dismissed and accepted specialists in IT companies. Only data on dismissed and hired employees in the "information and communication" sector remained in the public domain. According to the dev.by resource, in the period from January to July 2023, IT companies fired about 10 thousand specialists. This is almost half as much as in the same period in 2022. At the same time, more than 5 thousand new employees were hired in the IT sector in the first seven months of 2023 - 35% less than in January-July 2022.

Belstat notes that 7368 organizations operate in the country's digital economy at the end of 2022. Of these, 5437 enterprises are in the ICT sector, 969 companies in the field of digital trade, 962 in the content and media segment.^[2]

2020

12 Belarusian IT companies move business to Latvia after political persecution

12 Belarusian IT companies decided to move their business to Latvia after political persecution. The Minister of Economy of the Republic Janis Withenbergs told reporters about this on September 15, 2020.^[3]

We recognize that it is now problematic for these companies to obtain the necessary certificates in state institutions of Belarus, therefore, we work with each company individually, listen to requests and, in cooperation with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of the Interior, promptly resolve issues related to the preparation of the necessary documents. 12 companies expressed a desire to move to Latvia, "he said.

According to the Latvian Ministry of Economy, recently the agency has provided "in-depth consultations" to 116 Belarusian companies, in which more than four thousand people work, and individuals. 30 enterprises from the list represent the IT sector, 25 - various production.

12 Beloursk IT companies moved business to Latvia after political persecution

A special team has been created, in which representatives of the Ministry of Economy, the Latvian Agency for Investment and Development (LAIR) and other departments work in order to quickly consider applications from Belarusian business and offer a solution to problems.

Withenbergs said that in parallel, work is underway with Latvian financial institutions to find a compromise and create a "green corridor" for foreign companies to enter Latvia.

The IT industry of the Belarusian economy was during the political crisis in the country mainly on the side of opponents of the current government, which responds with pressure. After the establishment of criminal cases against many employees, after searches in the Belarusian Yandex and several other IT companies, they evacuated their employees from the country or began this process.

Companies whose names are not disclosed intend to transfer about 470 employees to Latvia, mainly top managers and leading specialists. This was reported by the Latvian Ministry of Economy.^[4]

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2010:24% increase in printing device shipments, 53% increase in PCs

According to IDC, in 2010, deliveries of printing devices (printers, MFPs and copiers of A4 and A3 formats) in Belarus increased by 24%, to 158 thousand units, and PCs - by 53%, to 349 thousand units, including desktops, laptops and x86 servers.

At the same time, the desktop computer market reached 177 thousand units, which corresponds to an increase of 18.5%, and portable computers - 167.7 thousand (an increase of 123.3%).

More than 80% of the Belarusian laptop market is controlled by five manufacturers: ASUS, HP, Acer, Samsung and Lenovo.

As for the prospects, many experts believe that due to the currency crisis in Belarus, the future of the country's IT market does not seem bright. Many sellers believe that there will be a steady decline in demand for their products, therefore sales will fall. In this situation, further activation of "gray" suppliers of computer equipment is expected^[5]