Large Company Exadel from Minsk Relocates to Poland

The Belarusian office of the company now employs about 550 people.

Large outsourcing company Exadel (in 2021, acquired by the American Sun Capital) no longer hires in the Belarusian office. Specialists are offered to relocate, including Poland, where there will be a development centre instead of Minsk.

Director of Exadel Minsk office Vladimir Chernitsky told dev.by.

- We had a meeting to discuss the situation in the company. Exadel doesn't work in Russia anymore. Some of the projects in Belarus have been terminated. We've already had 11 out of 30 clients, who refused to work with us. The company is now reducing its office space in Belarus," said Vladimir Chernitsky.

There were 700+ people working in Exadel's Belarusian office back in the fall of 2021. Now, according to the director, there are about 550. In the absence of projects, employees will be sent to the bench for a month. If no new project appears during this time, they will be fired.

The alternative is to relocate. It requires a good level of English. According to Chernitsky, experts from Belarus are highly rated in Exadel, "but many do not want to relocate".

Exadel's website now has more than 100 vacancies in different countries (Belarus is no longer on the list of locations).

Earlier, Exadel announced a large-scale expansion of the Polish office (the company has offices in Warsaw, Poznan, Bialystok and Szczecin). The company wants to hire up to 2 thousand people by the end of 2023. According to Vladimir Chernitsky, "now there will be a development centre of the international company Exadel in Poland, not in Minsk.

The international IT company Exadel was founded in 1998. It develops, tests, consults and supports clients' projects from different domains: finance, blockchain, stock exchanges, data protection, health care, education, etc. The company employs 1,200+ people. Exadel headquarters is located in Walnut Creek, California, USA.

Exadel was planning to buy EPAM in late 2019/early 2020, but the deal ultimately failed. Last March, U.S. private investment firm Sun Capital closed the deal to buy Exadel.

"High risks of losing a job"

An Exadel employee shared the mood in the company's Minsk office:

- People are at a loss and don't know what to do. Now only those who have a project are busy. But customers refuse to work with Belarus because of the sanctions and toxicity. Therefore, there will probably be no other projects; there is a high risk of losing jobs. Earlier, one could be on the bench for six months, but now it's a month. And they won't give internal projects to Belarus.

According to the employee, it's possible to relocate from Belarus to many countries, including Colombia but for a long time. And if an employee wants to return to Belarus from another location, they won't take him back to the office.

When moving, "the company pays a lump sum that covers the costs for about two months. But someone can extend it for four months if one rents a room and spends a minimum on food. Wages don't change depending on location. It is revised based on current accomplishments. Only juniors get an individual review".