IT in BELARUS

Belarus positions itself as an IT-country. This year the Presidential Decree «On the Development of the Digital Economy» was adopted➀. This document significantly simplified and structured the work of the High-Tech Park with 238 residents registered. Belarusian IT companies enter the top 100 best outsourcers of the world each year➁. Belarus is the fifth country in Eastern Europe in terms of IT-freelance➂. In general, the further development of the IT industry in the country is seen as very promising, as the state makes it clear that this sphere is now the priority of state policy.

The ICT sector currently has a workforce of over 85,000, including some 34,000 in the IT products and services segment. Another 30,000 IT specialists are employed in sectors of the economy other than ICT. There are currently no official statistics on the overall number of ICT specialists in Belarus, but it conservatively may be estimated by the number at over 115,000➃.

Resident companies of the High-Tech Park enjoy important government support: they are exempted from most taxes, including value-added tax and income tax. Further, employees of the resident companies enjoy a 30% reduction in personal income tax compared with other sectors of the economy. Due to the HTP, Belarus managed to build a mature export-oriented software development industry and became a significant player on the IT services market in Europe in just 10 years. According to Gartner, Belarus is among the nine most attractive locations for Outsourcing, Shared Service & Captives in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.

KEY PLAYERS⑤