Chairman of the Georgian IT Association Tornike Tokhadze said that at least 50% of foreign IT specialists have left the country. Total number of foreign IT professionals in Georgia reached 40,000 people.
"It is worth noting that the process of outflow of foreign (from Russia and Belarus) IT specialists continues," he said on the BMGTV channel.
Tokhadze named two main reasons for the massive outflow — competition between the countries of the region and the domestic political situation in the Georgia.
He told why foreign IT specialists initially came to Georgia — because of the status of a "virtual zone" (having received which, IT service providers working in Georgia, can reduce VAT and income tax to 0%), from 2020 it is possible to obtain the status of an international enterprise (income received as a result of employment in an international company is taxed at 5%, and the income tax rate of an international company is 5%).
However, the influx began back in 2019. According to Tokhadze, the relocation of Russian and Belarusian companies due to the fact that they sought "a more stable legal environment against the background of sanctions." The influx was also affected by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and the conflict on Ukraine.
Tokhadze also answered the question of why the outflow began.
"There are many reasons. First of all, there is growing competition from the countries of the region: Uzbekistan, Armenia, Turkey, which actively lured IT specialists in new waves of relocation. The last straw was the development of political events in Georgia itself — in particular, the decision to curtail European integration. This was the point after which the growth stopped," Tokhadze said.
According to Sakstat, in the l quarter of 2025, salaries in IT gave way to salaries in the financial sector. Tokhadze also attributes this to the outflow of personnel and a decrease in demand.
The Chairman of the IT Association of Georgia also assessed the state strategy for the development of the IT sector and said that "the strategy was built on certain impulses that brought results, but today this result is going backwards."
"The current strategic plan for 2025-2030 repeats the previous approach. Among the new initiatives: a three-year residence permit for foreign IT specialists, tax incentives for innovative startups, etc. But this is not enough for serious development," Tokhadze believes.