Elina Kudishina, HR Director at Oberon, told socialbites.ca that simply raising salaries will not be enough to retain IT specialists in Russia. Industry experts from the Habr IT portal note that the average monthly salary in the field in Russia is 165,771 rubles.
“But certain professions can see starting salaries around that level and peaking near 450 thousand rubles,” Kudishina stated. She noted that developers working with Java, Android, iOS, and Kotlin may expect such compensation levels.
Historically, the regional salary level has been 15–30% higher than the market average. At the same time, a standard 5–7% annual salary indexation does not hold much appeal for IT professionals, she explained.
In this context, the expert stresses the importance of offering a more attractive social package. It should include compulsory health insurance for employees, coverage for life insurance for employees and their family members, and children. Mobile communications are viewed as a work tool rather than part of a social package.
Additionally, a potential new IT job offer should include perks such as access to fitness facilities, on-site gyms, discounts on language courses, and loyalty programs with partner companies for goods and services at favorable rates. Kudishina notes that these activities are increasingly sought after by IT applicants.
“Training in specialist courses and vendor certifications are now considered essential for a competitive employer. Remote and hybrid work formats have also become permanent features of IT roles,” she added.
Thus, a reasonable salary, a strong social package, and organized events can persuade IT professionals to stay in the country rather than move abroad. Oberon’s HR director also highlighted the value of knowledge exchange with colleagues, participation in conferences, and meetings with partners and vendors.
Intangible factors matter as well—contributing to a shared mission, having influence over outcomes, and being able to rely on expert input from the project team.
Staff shortage is growing
According to the Ministry of Digital Development, Russia faces a deficit of IT specialists. Kudishina estimated that the country is short of 500,000 to 1 million IT professionals.
“As experts warned, the shortage could reach 2 million by 2027,” she said. “This is driven by limited budgeted places for IT majors in universities and the lure of international opportunities.”
Kudishina explained that the Ministry of Digital Development is actively expanding university budget places for IT specialties. There is an annual growth rate exceeding 12% in IT student admissions.
The gap is being closed through university collaboration programs. Oberon’s top manager cited the core division of Yandex at the Higher School of Economics, which trains in-demand data analysis specialists. Faculty members also work for the Russian company.
“There are plenty of strong math students in business, and from the second or third year they are increasingly involved in tackling real-world tasks,” the expert said.
The measures taken are not enough
Experts like Magomed Emin Idylov, founder and CEO of the medical technology company MDinc, argue that government measures favor IT entrepreneurs more than IT professionals themselves, focusing on tax and administrative benefits. Idylov noted that these steps may not be sufficient to keep IT experts in the country, given that IT work often serves as a gateway to immigration and many tech professionals do not see a long-term future in Russia.
He added that keeping IT specialists requires high salaries and generous motivational policies, including non-financial incentives. “Many IT professionals consider the attractiveness of the projects they work on; they want to apply their knowledge to interesting and meaningful work,” Idylov concluded.
Idylov emphasized that even with favorable measures, competition among employers remains fierce when conditions become broadly similar. A robust compensation package and engaging project opportunities are key factors said by the expert.
Yet Kudishina views the Ministry of Digital Development’s proposals as a solid foundation for companies to build competitive offers for potential employees. She believes joint efforts by the state and business can slow the outflow of IT specialists from Russia.
Currently, developers face cash gaps, difficulty securing financing, supply chain disruptions, shifts in project composition, and rising non-financial costs. The ministry has proposed increasing the maximum share of state co-financing from 50% to 80% to address these issues.
Funds such as the Fund for Support of the Development of Small Businesses in the Scientific and Technical Field, the Skolkovo Fund for Development and Commercialization, and the Russian Information Technology Development Fund are involved. The ministry also proposes allocating 14 billion rubles to support IT firms in the form of grants.