Over the past year, almost 850 Ukrainian IT workers have been laid off — and although the main reason for the layoffs remains the financial crisis, managers are also actively saying goodbye to lead positions due to conflicts and optimization.
Over the past year, almost 850 Ukrainian IT workers have been laid off — and although the main reason for the layoffs remains the financial crisis, managers are also actively saying goodbye to lead positions due to conflicts and optimization.
According to the DOU survey, most specialists do not receive support during layoffs, and they often learn about the layoffs themselves at the last moment.
The company's difficult financial situation became the most common reason for layoffs — 34%. It is followed by optimization and change of work directions — 33%.
Seniors and leads in Ukraine were most often fired due to optimization (35% of respondents). Mids and juniors cited the difficult financial situation in the company as the main reason for dismissal (38%).
23% of leads have lost their jobs due to conflict with management, the highest rate of all. Juns are also often fired for this reason — 16%.
Non-technical specialists were slightly more likely to be fired due to poor performance (17% versus 12% among technical specialists), as well as interns and juniors (18%).
Only 41% of specialists in Ukraine and 36% abroad learned about the planned layoffs a few days or earlier. For more than a third of those surveyed, the layoffs came as a complete surprise.
Another 11% of Ukrainian specialists and 19% of those working abroad suspected possible layoffs, although companies did not officially report this.
Most companies adhere to their financial obligations: 66% of Ukrainian and 59% of foreign IT workers received all due payments, including bonuses and compensation for unused vacation.
At the same time, a quarter of specialists in Ukraine and a third abroad reported that companies limited themselves to paying salaries only, without compensating for bonuses or vacation pay. One commentator shared his experience: “They notified me in the middle of the month, fired me three weeks in advance, and paid me only for that period. According to the contract, they were supposed to give me a month’s notice and compensate me for all payments and benefits.”
Such cases are more common in small companies (up to 200 employees) and startups. More than a third of those laid off in such organizations did not receive full salary or other due payments.
Sometimes employees had to seek payments through lawyers: “They eventually paid, but only after legal intervention.” Cases of complete non-payment of salary upon dismissal are rare — 4% of Ukrainian specialists and 2% of foreign specialists faced this.
