Where Do IT Professionals Work If Not in Tech Companies?

IT professionals are often imagined as working in tech startups, software firms, or global service providers. However, 2023 data from Georgia paints a very different picture: only 34% of IT professionals are employed by IT companies, while 66% work in other sectors — including finance, education, media, government institutions, and NGOs. Additionally, 88% are employed in the private sector, 9% in the public sector, and 3% in international or nonprofit organizations.

This trend isn’t unique to Georgia. Globally, digital transformation has extended far beyond the traditional boundaries of the tech industry. In the U.S., for example, a 2022 CompTIA report showed that over half of tech-related jobs were in non-tech industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, banking, and public services. In Germany, banks, insurance firms, and logistics companies now employ thousands of IT professionals directly within their internal teams.

The wide distribution of IT specialists across sectors in Georgia reflects the country’s fast, but uneven, path toward digital transformation. The financial sector has been one of the first to absorb programmers, data analysts, and cybersecurity experts to support secure payments, mobile platforms, and real-time operations. In education, IT professionals have played a key role in supporting digital learning platforms, while government agencies have expanded their use of tech talent to deliver e-services and manage public data systems.

This dispersion comes with both opportunities and challenges.

On the one hand, integrating IT professionals across sectors accelerates broader economic modernization. A logistics company with in-house developers can optimize routes and make data-driven decisions. In healthcare, IT teams enable integration between diagnostics, medical records, and billing systems — improving efficiency and service quality.

On the other hand, this spread may lead to underutilization of skills. IT professionals working outside of tech environments may find limited opportunities for growth, fewer chances to engage with the latest technological developments, or weaker professional networks compared to peers in tech companies.

This also raises a key strategic question: if most IT professionals aren’t employed by tech firms, how should the education system prepare them? Should training be adapted to meet the digital needs of specific sectors — such as banking, education, or public administration?

This structural reality is likely to persist and deepen in the years ahead. As more sectors digitize, demand for IT talent outside the tech industry will only grow. The critical challenge will be ensuring that these professionals are equipped, supported, and integrated in a way that enables them to contribute meaningfully to Georgia’s digital transformation.

Find the BTU’s research report on IT sector trends here.