IT-market trends: February 2021

Our Team has recently conducted research of the current IT-market. We were basing on everyday statistics of our work and here are key take-aways:

Candidates who tend to job hop, meaning change company every 12-18 months, have higher salary expectations than those who work long for one employer. Every hop adds about $500 to their current salary.
Senior Engineers in Kyiv expect to receive $1000-1500 more than Team Leaders in other cities.
Product companies refuse to consider job hoppers for their open roles.
Engaged candidates are ready to lower their salary expectations for a challenging and exciting project.
Companies are not ready to make unreasonably high offers to candidates. They tend to keep balance between skillset, market and candidate’s expectations.
Product companies are looking to hire loyal employees with 3-5 years of experience, though such candidates prefer to stay with their current companies. It creates a vicious circle for product companies.
The level of salaries does not correspond with experience. Candidates with 3-4 years of experience tend to expect $6K. Usually their qualifications do not suffice.
Most candidates do not have a product mindset. They are motivated by technologies and money.
Many applicants have an outreach filter: they don’t proceed communication with recruiters who do not reveal salary range.
Almost all candidates are looking for remote roles or a mix of WFH and office.

To summarise:

If you think a candidate fits your role, do not hesitate with a job offer. Otherwise, other companies won’t miss the opportunity.
Expand your search to other countries if you offer remote work. For example, we hired a Frontend Engineer in Spain for less money than in Ukraine even taking into account Spanish taxes.
Make sure your recruiting team feels valued. The job market is tough and many candidates are closed to offers also due to reduction in 2020.