This year’s survey was conducted in February 2025 and includes qualified responses from 42 Eastern European IT outsourcing companies. As promised, the report with full data is shared only with those of you who participated, so please don’t forward this outside of your company.
It’s worth noting again that the majority of invitations were sent out by East, which means the data might not fully represent the entire market landscape. However, the insights provided offer a valuable snapshot—and hopefully, with your continued support, we’ll gather an even broader base next year.
AI-related services continue to grow, with 85% of respondents offering AI API integration and nearly 62% offering machine learning services. 83% of companies are already using tools like ChatGPT or Copilot internally, with a median estimated productivity gain of 20%. 11% of current projects already include AI elements, and several companies are also investing in custom model training and data analytics capabilities.
On the talent side, 78.6% of respondents plan to develop new competencies in 2025, with the most common focus areas being AI/ML, cloud, and data services.
We hope this summary helps you benchmark your own experiences and that it sparks conversations on how we can collaborate more effectively in the future.
Survey participants and company size
Primary working models
From the respondents 64.3% reported “Staff augmentation” as their primary working model. The popularity of different business models:
Primary markets
Markets seeking development
Main verticals
Main technologies
Client retention
Client gains
Sales challenges
Sales channels
Sales cycle length changes
How strong would you say your already established Sales Automation is?
Company direction in 2025
Market indications in 2025
Obstacles for growth
Which areas do you plan to develop competencies further?
AI usage & adoption
AI usage & adoption
I’m expert in communication, relationship management and project management with 15 years of experience in the IT industry. I understand the top-level business problem and how it reflects the technical execution of a project.
I currently aid Nordic companies to source talent from Eastern Europe and set up processes to improve the efficiency and success rate of IT offshoring and nearshoring ventures. I’ve gained my experience in Eastern Europe by living in Bulgaria for years and working with Eastern European IT talents over a decade.
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