The number of junior specialists working in Ukraine's technology sector has halved compared to 2022 levels, according to survey results published by Ukrainian tech community platform DOU. The data, reported by LIGA.net news editor Anastasiya Bobkova on September 21, 2026, draws from a summer survey of 14,631 IT professionals located both inside Ukraine and abroad.
Over the past year, the proportion of software developers among Ukrainian tech workers contracted from 44 percent to 37 percent, while quality assurance testers dropped from 17.6 percent to 16 percent. Conversely, the industry saw an increase in analysts, human resources and recruitment staff, customer support specialists, project managers, and marketing professionals.
Entry-level positions have grown increasingly scarce across the sector, with juniors and interns accounting for just 11 percent of survey respondents, while mid-level specialists represent 30 percent. Experienced personnel now dominate the industry, with 57 percent of respondents possessing more than five years of professional experience. Addressing the rise of artificial intelligence, 59 percent of specialists expressed confidence that their roles will remain important, though 15 percent of software developers anticipate declining demand for their specific skills.
Tech sector structure and survey background
DOU, founded as Developer.ua, is Ukraine's leading online platform and research portal for software engineers and digital technology specialists. The organization regularly conducts comprehensive industry surveys tracking compensation, workplace demographics, and employment trends across the nation's technology ecosystem. Ukraine's IT industry historically serves as one of the country's primary service export sectors, relying heavily on software engineering, outsourcing, and product development.
Contractual formats within the market have undergone notable shifts over the past year. The share of IT professionals operating as individual entrepreneurs fell from 57 percent last year to 49 percent. Instead, a higher proportion of specialists entered formal employment under Ukraine's standard Code of Labour Laws or signed gig contracts. Fully remote work remains the prevailing workplace model, utilized by 66 percent of all surveyed professionals.
In Ukraine, tech workers have traditionally operated as registered individual entrepreneurs, known locally as FOPs, under a simplified taxation framework. Gig contracts represent a flexible legal framework introduced under Diia City, a special economic and legal regime created by the Ukrainian government to modernize employment regulations and tax structures for technology enterprises.
Workplace stress and military deferments
The survey highlighted growing workplace pressures, with 17 percent of respondents reporting that they lost their jobs over the past year and 38 percent reporting professional burnout. Despite these personal and professional strains, 70 percent of tech workers stated that they regularly donate funds to support the Ukrainian armed forces.
Military deferment rates have also increased among male workers based in Ukraine, with 24 percent holding employer-backed reservations against military conscription, up from 13 percent last year. On residency intentions, 55 percent of respondents stated they have no plans to emigrate from Ukraine, while 39 percent indicated that they are considering moving abroad.
Under martial law in Ukraine, male citizens of military age are subject to mobilization, but the Ukrainian government permits critical businesses and designated technology firms to secure temporary military deferments, known as reservations, for essential employees to maintain economic stability.
Demographic data showed that women now account for 31 percent of Ukraine's IT workforce, rising from 29 percent in the previous year's survey. In additional findings released by DOU, 64 percent of tech specialists aged over 45 reported encountering age discrimination in the workplace, while previous research from the platform highlighted senior specialists earning monthly salaries exceeding 6,000 dollars.
