Ireland can offer safe harbour to Russia's tech émigrés
Vnukovo Airport in Moscow; there is a potential of some 600,000 tech émigrés to depart Russia.
In revulsion at the growing humanitarian suffering in Ukraine, some courageous Russian and Belarusian tech investors and entrepreneurs launched an international petition to oppose the war and help the victims.
Tech peers from a variety of other countries have joined the initiative.
These guys in the Russian IT community do not watch TV or listen to the state radio, preferring to get their information from internet channels and hence have a clearer picture of what is happening in Ukraine.
However, with Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram now banned by the Kremlin, the only remaining source of global social media is TikTok, the Chinese-owned platform.
According to Datareportal, the international data consultancy, TikTok attracted nearly 55m users in Russia in February 2022 and its audience is likely to grow even more, should it avoid being banned too.
Many here in Ireland will also be familiar with them as the Six Nations rugby sponsors.
Since the war in Ukraine began, triggering unprecedented international sanctions against Russia, some 50,000 to 70,000 Russian IT professionals have left their country, according to reports by the Russian Association of Electronic Communications (RAEC).
According to a poll by Habr, the ubiquitous Russian technology site, one-third of Russian IT professionals are now looking for job opportunities abroad.
This makes a theoretical potential of some 600,000 tech émigrés from Russia.
Needless to say, the Ukrainian tech sector has been decimated.
It has long been one of Ireland’s, as well as other European countries, top destinations for IT outsourcing, with a talent pool of some 200,000 software developers, based on 2019 figures according to PitchBook data, the international tech investor consultancy.
Furthermore, its deep talent pool has also created a diaspora of tech professionals that help drive innovation around the world, whether in Dublin, London, Berlin, New York, or San Francisco.
Several successful start-ups and unicorns that have emerged in recent years have been the product of Ukrainian founders.
Among them are Nasdaq-listed software company, GitLab; online writing assistant, Grammarly, and B2B software company, People.ai.
Meanwhile, the European Commission on Wednesday, last week, set out plans to ensure that the more than 3.5m refugees who have fled the Russian invasion have access to jobs, education, and housing.
There is an opportunity for Ireland to make a real impact to support the Ukrainian tech sector, as well as give a welcome to the Russian tech émigrés, who have bravely denounced the war.
Key to the support should be the government's Tech/Life Ireland initiative, but it must be given a specific focus with a dedicated personnel, website, and social media campaign to attract them to Ireland.
This is an emergency that needs urgent and dedicated action, and importantly there is strong funding support from European Commission.
The fastest-growing skills demand at present in Ireland is for top IT professionals.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment indicates that while Ireland both produces and attracts a very talented pool of tech people, the industry is continuing to grow quickly.
Importantly, the department and the partners to Tech/Life Ireland — Enterprise Ireland, IDA Ireland, and the tech industry — understand the need to recruit internationally.
These contingencies are little consolation to the human cost Ukrainians are now facing.
Many start-ups and tech companies have employees that are fleeing with their families and — as surreal as it sounds in 21st century Europe — some individuals will be stepping away from their desks to pick up guns and defend their homes.
However, we can and should at least offer safe harbour with real opportunity to rebuild their lives where we can.
