"We must not lose the Artsakh gene pool": Synopsys Armenia Director

YEREVAN, October 24. /ARKA/. Hovik Musayelyan, Director of Synopsys Armenia, talked to ARKA news agency about the influence of geopolitical situation on the domestic IT market, outflow of foreign companies, which arrived in Armenia after the start of the Russian-Ukrainian war and employment opportunities for Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) residents.

ARKA - Many people have arrived in Armenia from Artsakh and they all need jobs. How big is the demand for IT jobs among Artsakh residents and are there vacancies suitable for them?

Musayelyan - Unfortunately, there are very few trained IT personnel in Artsakh. This has both subjective and objective reasons. For example, a few years ago the Chair of Microchip Design was opened at Artsakh State University, but after two years it had to be closed. Students enrolled and left: boys were drafted into the army, girls got married or went on maternity leave.

Our company and the Union of Employers of Information and Communication Technologies (UEICT) mulled about organizing different trainings for students and schoolchildren from Artsakh. Artsakh people are extremely talented people, the gene pool of Artsakh should be used in intellectual, innovative aspect. It is unforgivable if we lose it. We must use it, but we need time for preparation.

ARKA-: Approximately how long?

Musayelyan: There are different specialties in the IT industry: if it is microelectronics, the preparation will take several years, if it is just soft-coding - several months.

ARKA -: Is the market ready to accept new people, especially newcomers, taking into account the fact that a lot of specialists from Russia have arrived in Armenia due to the well-known events and there is quite a high competition?

Musayelyan: I agree with you, the competition is tough. The arrival of many qualified IT specialists from Russia is good on the one hand and bad on the other. Neither we nor they know how long they will stay here. They get a job here, and after a few months they leave the country or go to another company. And Artsakh residents are already here. We just have to create all the conditions, first of all, to provide them with jobs so that they do not leave, otherwise most of the Artsakh people will leave for Russia.

ARKA - Maybe there is a need to set some quotas for them in companies?

Musayelyan - It is the government's prerogative to initiate different programs. It would be wrong to oblige companies to set quotas.

ARKA – There is talk about a tendency of outflow of Russian IT companies from Armenia. Do you agree with this? And if yes, how will it affect the country's economy?

Musayelyan - It is normal. They came to Armenia first of all because it was easy to come here: visa-free regime, regular flights, plus Armenia's mission has always been high technologies. And after a few months everyone determines their further relocation.  Very many companies are not physically located in Armenia, but they are registered here. And it is difficult to estimate how many Russian companies operate in our country.

ARKA- The issue is that the Russian companies have had a noticeable impact on the economy, Armenia's GDP has grown, among other things, thanks to them. But if the relocated companies leave, what is the risk of recession?

Musayelyan- The question is very difficult, it is difficult to answer it definitely. It is unclear, because different companies have different goals and expansion plans. The global market is very limited now; it is very difficult to find your niche in the sphere. And since the market is global, there are no artificial restrictions for relocation. They have to orient themselves - in which country, in which area the environment is favorable for their business.

ARKA-  How does the current geopolitical situation affect the market?

Musayelyan - I do not see any direct negative impact of the geopolitical situation on business and IT sphere. But, of course, we should try to stay positive. If you work in the IT sphere, you should concentrate on your work.

ARKA- How attractive are Armenian companies from the point of view of foreign investors? How promising is cooperation with foreign companies?

Musayelyan:  Armenia cannot host an unlimited number of foreign companies. When companies come, they have to hire workers, and we have a critical number of them. We can't embrace the immense.  The companies that come to Armenia should engage in training highly qualified personnel. Today, unfortunately, many of them poach employees from competitors. One company spends a lot of money on education and training of employees, and then another company comes, raises the salary by 10-20% and poaches the employee.  Staff poaching t will not lead to positive trends in the IT industry. Every company that has serious intentions regarding Armenia should seriously engage in educational programs: cooperate with universities, jointly train highly qualified personnel.

ARKA- : Is there any information about foreign investments in Armenian startups?

Musayelyan- I would not be surprised if in the near future many venture funds invest money in the development of our startups. There are a lot of talented people working in Armenian startups, a lot of smart solutions, but they need help and investment. -0-

Read the news first and discuss them in our Telegram

17:23 10/24/2023