Competition for IT personnel is growing in the regions / Economic news of Krasnoyarsk and the Krasnoyarsk Territory / Newslab.Ru

Regional IT hubs are becoming key growth points for the Russian digital economy.

Companies are actively expanding their presence outside the capitals, creating local communities, attracting young professionals and implementing large-scale federal projects, which also stimulates the development of the higher education system. This business trend also meets the interests of the workers themselves: 41% of specialists would not want to leave their hometown for work, preferring professional fulfillment and decent wages without the need to move. Participants in the discussion in Yekaterinburg spoke about this.

Yekaterinburg is one of the largest digital hubs in the Urals. Every year, the city graduates more than 25 thousand IT specialists from 27 universities, including UrFU, USMU and USUE. Many of them remain to work in the Sverdlovsk region. According to a study by T1 and hh.ru, 41% of IT specialists prefer to stay in the region, even with offers to move to Moscow or St. Petersburg. Most often, Yekaterinburg residents look for work in local companies (39%), a quarter (24%) choose remote vacancies in capital companies, and another 18% focus on branches of IT corporations. The key motives are proximity to family and comfortable infrastructure at the place of residence.

“The center of gravity of IT talent is gradually shifting from Moscow to the regions. For T1, Yekaterinburg has already become a strategic center of expertise: more than 400 employees work here, and more than 600 people in the Ural Federal District as a whole. At the same time, we don’t just hire employees, but form a digital ecosystem in the region: we open coworking spaces, hold events, launch educational programs and interact with universities,” said Ekaterina Kolesnikova, Deputy General Director of the T1 IT holding for personnel.

Experts note that there is a direct correlation between the level of education, the presence of a specialized diploma and wages – the higher the qualifications, the higher the income, especially in the IT field. Therefore, the foundation of higher education remains important for career advancement and financial stability.

“According to Rosstat, the peak income of most Russians falls between the ages of 28 and 37, and after 44 years the indicators begin to decline. In the IT industry, a stable “plateau” persists much longer: specialists do not lose income after 44 years, which is important for long-term career planning,” noted Valentina Zhiltsova, manager of VTB Bank in the Sverdlovsk region.

When training specialists, fundamental disciplines such as mathematics or physics become of great importance. This is a framework of knowledge on which various applied disciplines are tuned and which allows for rapid retraining.

“Now it is more important not just to teach students the basics of IT, but also to prepare them to solve real problems using new technologies, including AI. Despite the cooling of the market, the demand for highly qualified personnel still remains – this is noted by both industry representatives and the government. Therefore, UrFU, together with partners, including T1, this year won and is implementing grants from the Ministry of Digital Development for the training of top-level IT specialists,” shared Maxim Novikov, director of the undergraduate school of IRIT-RTF UrFU.

The main challenge for local authorities is the outflow from small towns to regional centers and capitals. The solution to this problem, according to Larisa Malysheva, director of the UrFU Business School and leader of the resource center “Boiling Point – Yekaterinburg,” can be the involvement of young people in solving real problems of their home city.

“Technological and personnel sovereignty is a strategic goal of the country. The key goal is not the export of talent, but the export of the best educational practices. It is important that our youth remain and develop in their regions, helping them grow and develop,” noted Larisa Malysheva.