Despite the cautious growth in hiring in Ukrainian IT in the spring of 2026, every second specialist still lives with the fear of losing their job. The greatest shortage of personnel is observed in the areas of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, where almost everyone is employed, while designers and game developers increasingly find themselves actively searching for new projects.
Despite the cautious growth in hiring in Ukrainian IT in the spring of 2026, every second specialist still lives with the fear of losing their job. The greatest shortage of personnel is observed in the areas of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence, where almost everyone is employed, while designers and game developers increasingly find themselves actively searching for new projects.
This is stated in the material of the DOU publication based on the results of a large survey, which was attended by more than 4,700 Ukrainian specialists (3,777 within the country and 943 abroad), as well as beginners looking for their first offer.
According to the study, 82% of IT professionals in Ukraine are currently employed. Despite the positive employment dynamics, the share of those who are actively looking for work has also increased — now it is 16% of respondents in Ukraine and 21% among those who left. This was due to a reduction in the number of specialists who were on maternity leave, sabbaticals or on the bench.
Security specialists were the most resilient to market fluctuations, with 100% employment. System administrators (98%), DevOps engineers (93%), and AI/ML specialists (92%) also had high rates. However, the crisis hit creative industries hardest: almost 40% of designers and level developers in game development currently do not have a stable contract.
The main reasons for layoffs in 2026 were:
Staff optimization (38%).
Difficult financial situation in companies (32%).
Completion of projects (20%).
Despite the active development of technologies, there has been no mass replacement of people by algorithms. Only 5% of respondents indicated that they lost their jobs precisely because of the introduction of artificial intelligence. At the same time, the reasons for layoffs correlate with the type of business: products more often resort to «optimization», while outstaffing and service companies lay off people due to financial difficulties or the closure of specific client cases.
The level of anxiety remains stable throughout the year: 51% of specialists in Ukraine and 57% abroad fear losing their jobs. Developers (Software Engineers) and sales specialists (Sales/BizDev) are the most worried. Leads and analysts are the least worried about their future.
