Minsk

Minsk is not only the capital city of Belarus but it is the political, economic, scientific and cultural center of the country as well as the administrative center of the Minsk region. Minsk is the most economically developed city in Belarus. There are around 2 million inhabitants in Minsk, and the population is constantly growing. As the national capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the administrative center of Minsk Region and Minsk district.

The cost of office rent in Minsk varies between $15/m² and $30/m². The city has a large number of various types of offices to offer as it is the center of Belarus IT sector. The prices based on the office type are as follows:

• class A – $30/m²
• class B – $21/m²
• class C – $15/m²

NOTE! The prices usually may not include the VAT and operational costs, therefore, these shall also be discussed in advance.

Currently, Minsk has the highest concentration of specialists in the country – over 24K engineers are involved in the local IT sector. Another benefit of the capital is the establishment of the HTP (High-Tech Park) that “was established with the main goal to support the software industry.” Those IT companies located in the HTP are provided with a special business environment and such incentives are unusual for the European business arena and have no precedents elsewhere. Amidst the key players, EPAM occupies leading positions in terms of employment and service provision.

Altogether, 28 educational institutions including the oldest and most in demand among companies in the IT industry, are located in the capital city of Minsk. The key universities are:

• Belarusian State University
• Belarusian State University of Informatics and Radio Electronics
• Belarusian National Technical University

As to the educational centers established by the companies, the most popular one is the training center of EPAM. Most graduates are offered jobs almost at once after successful completion of the courses. Moreover, owing to governmental initiatives, most students are able to get employed and continue obtaining their higher education at universities.

As to the average salaries, the specialists in Minsk are offered the following based on their experience:

• Junior Software Developer – $800
• Middle Software Developer – $2000
• Senior Software Developer – $3200+
• Technical Lead – $3900