Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the IT sector in Bulgaria has seen an outflow of projects and outsourcing companies, and workers are being laid off. The IT sector in Bulgaria is closely connected with companies from Western Europe and the United States. Many of the big businesses have suffered, respectively this has affected the companies in our country. This is shown by the analysis of Milen Ganev, a partner in the Bulgarian software company E-CARD. According to him, when there is a global economic crisis, there is always a decline in the IT sector. There is a freeze in the growth of salaries, as in recent years they have been artificially inflated. Wages either stay the same or even decrease a little. As a result of the crisis, we are very likely to see a greater balance between supply and demand. There is a change in the dynamics of the market and specialists are less willing to take risks and change their jobs in the current situation, Ganev explained. In some companies, layoffs, reductions in working hours and even pay followed - something that was unthinkable only a few months ago.
The recipe for coping with the crisis is innovation and good training. "Currently, there is a lack of quality specialists on the Bulgarian market because universities do not produce any. They train many students, but only give them the basics, "Ganev commented. Companies need to further invest in their training, which takes time. Therefore, according to him, now is the time for universities to quickly change their programs and bring them to the required level for business.
The other trend for which the IT sector proved to be the best prepared in the pandemic is work from home, "It is still not possible to determine the percentage of people's efficiency," said Milen Ganev. At the beginning of the pandemic, it was low due to the stress of COVID-19. When almost everything in the country closed, the results of work at home were the highest. After the easing of the measures and the arrival of the warm weather, the efficiency is again very low, Ganev commented. According to him, the people in home office find it difficult to monitor and observe their working hours. It is important in the future for companies to provide better communication between teams in order to have highly efficient employees. Flexible work will be the new norm after the virus.