The Ukraine Impact on American Tech Companies

The Ukraine/ Russia conflict puts American Tech companies on notice of contract hires who may no longer be available. While the U.S. is attempting to expand its influence and create greater opportunities by recruiting engineers across borders, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine undermines the opportunities available for people to empower themselves and their families.

The ability to work remotely online extended engineer recruitment for American tech companies, some of who are citizens of the Ukraine and Russia. As Amtec noted in its article about “How to Hire Engineers from Outside Your Area” adding web developers, coders, and other engineers from out-of-town is an effective way to meet a need.

Now the Ukrainian and Russian contract hires have been caught in the crosshairs of the conflict between their countries. Amtec has two engineers located in Belarus who are uncertain if US sanctions will end their long-time work relationship with Amtec.

While most traditional companies have established on-site employees in their markets, many tech companies have embraced contract hires by recruiting engineers from overseas. Unfortunately, this creates a remote workforce that can’t necessarily be moved or evacuated quickly.

JustAnswer is a San Francisco tech company with about 250 workers located in Ukraine. The ability of those workers to continue working is fragile at best, and their prospects for resuming remote work for JustAnswer and other tech companies are uncertain. Russia’s invasive bombardment destroys infrastructure and leaves some unable to leave due to martial law implemented to defend the country.

Dmytro Grygorenko is one such Ukrainian engineer uncertain about his future. His hometown has been impacted by Russian bombs, sharing photos of the tragedy on his LinkedIn. Even if Russian companies are against the war due to economic ties with the U.S., it’s unlikely they will speak out. With the pillars of Russia’s last free press falling, it leaves little hope for a native boycott of the Kremlin without severe repercussions.

Amtec’s Chief Operating Officer, Barrett Kuethen, says contract hires and engineers from Ukraine are a great example of collaborative projects between workers of different companies. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a threat to cultural understanding and economic ties that fosters innovation.

“Many Ukrainian software engineers founded or co-founded companies like PayPal, Whatsapp, and Grammarly. Russia’s ongoing military expansionism in the Ukraine and Crimea threatens the foundations of the global information technology industry by displacing Ukrainian software engineers. It also threatens the influence Ukrainian engineers can have on our global economy and development of a better future.” – Barrett Kuethen, Amtec COO

As a result of several decades of globalization and international cooperation in science and technology, the borders between countries start to seem more like arbitrary lines on a map rather than defined limits on behavior. The geopolitical instability of Ukraine and Russia puts work relationships in jeopardy. Russia attempting to expand its borders undermines the greater influence and empowerment that comes from people working together across borders. Amtec stands behind the Ukrainians defending their freedoms for liberty and prosperity.

ABOUT AMTEC: Amtec is a professional Direct Hire Recruitment and Contract Staffing company based in Southern California, providing services nationwide. Additional service offerings include Executive Search, Recruitment Process Outsourcing or RPO, and Payrolling Services.