Moscow -

In a clear expression of the repercussions of Western sanctions on Russia and the economic crisis that has befallen it as a result, the information technology sector in Russia has begun to witness a noticeable exodus of experts working in it, with their tendency to leave the country.

According to the Russian Society for Electronic Communications, about 50-70 thousand people working in the field of information technology left the country from February to March 2022, and this number - according to the association - will increase in the future.

Brain drain is defined as the migration of scientists and specialists from various sectors from their original home to an environment more suitable for them professionally or economically, usually from developing countries to developed countries.

This type of migration may negatively affect the home country in terms of losing manpower, causing a loss of existing competencies, which in turn will cause damage to the country's economy.

exodus

And it was not limited to specialists, but many IT companies, in turn, withdrew from the Russian market, says Natalia Kasperskaya, head of the “Info Watch” group for software engineering, who confirmed the occurrence of a “mass exodus” of experts and dozens of foreign companies in the field of information technology, due to the decline in The value of the local currency, adding that the "flow" rose significantly in February and March.

Kasperskaya predicted that 100,000 experts will follow suit next April.

Kasperskaya explained that she warned in June 2020 that Russia was on the verge of a mass exodus of IT personnel abroad, and stated at the time that the massive outflow would last two years due to the deteriorating economic situation in the country.

But she pointed out that the problem at that time was hidden only due to the pandemic of the Corona virus, because of which Russia entered into self-isolation, but now the situation is different, Russia is under the yoke of international sanctions, as well as the decline of the ruble to historically low levels against the vast majority of the major currencies in the world , which led to a sharp jump in prices and a shortage of some commodities.

It should be noted that this is not the first time that the relevant authorities in Russia have sounded the alarm about the loss of talent in the digital technology local market.

In early 2021, the country experienced a severe shortage of IT staff in the country.

According to the Ministry of Digital Development, in February of last year, Russia lost from 500,000 to 1 million specialists in various fields of information technology.

In addition, the ministry's analysts emphasized that there are not enough state-funded places for IT majors in Russian universities, only 80,000 of them.

Specialists in this sector say that many experts in the field of information technology are in a hurry to leave the country as soon as possible, because they do not want to bear the sharply deteriorating economic situation, and do not pay attention to the many measures to support the information technology industry from the state, they say.

Lots of IT companies pulled out of the Russian market (Getty Images)

future phobia

According to specialists, this is also due to the "good mental organization" of IT specialists, as they are young people who are in many respects connected to the West, and have worked on Western devices, but they are terrified of the repercussions of sanctions on their professional future, calling on the state to take urgent measures to reassure them.

The Russian authorities are doing everything possible to keep IT professionals in the country.

Despite not talking about a direct ban on leaving, the state is working to take various incentive measures to meet this entitlement.

Rapid intervention

For example, in early March, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree on the implementation of the third package of measures to support the information technology industry in Russia, one of the main points of which was: the postponement of service in the army for employees of IT companies, and the companies themselves received significant tax benefits , so that it can rely on the various grants and preferential loans offered by the state.

Anticipating the influx of Russian IT professionals, the authorities have simplified the procedures for hiring foreign competitors in Russian IT companies, in the third package of support measures.

Russian banks are also making their contribution to trying to prevent IT employees from leaving the country. In March, Russian banks doubled the number of IT job vacancies, and various government departments did the same.

Russian banks contribute to trying to prevent IT staff from leaving the country (Getty Images)

Opposite dynamics

Moreover, Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Information and Communication Technologies Oleg Matveshev described the talk about a mass brain drain crisis as a myth, and considered that the current problem lies in the negative interpretation of data presented in the media, stressing that despite the current conditions, it is possible to talk about positive dynamics in the information technology market.

On the other hand, experts believe that the measures that the state sought to take to reduce the flow of "brains abroad" have not yielded tangible results. C News reported that nearly a third of information security companies operating in Russia will leave the country in the near future, and take their employees with them.

Economic researcher Oleg Rusanov said that - long before the special operation in Ukraine and the sanctions that followed - it was clear that a crisis with IT personnel was brewing in the country, adding that until then, most specialists were ready to leave the country or work for a foreign company, Because of the unwillingness to endure the economic situation and striving to earn more in order to raise their standard of living.

He indicated - in an interview with Al Jazeera Net - that the question whether Russian specialists want to leave their homeland is not worth it, as it is about when and how, because of the presence of serious restrictions on movement as a result of the sanctions.

According to him, the mass emigration of highly qualified and highly educated citizens of Russia could turn into a serious economic problem.

In the long run, it could become the most serious dilemma in the country.