The IT industry in Serbia is entering 2026 more cautiously. A global slowdown in investment has already left its mark.
What is obvious is that the companies most affected are those that grew rapidly in previous years without a clear and sustainable business model, or that relied heavily on a single type of client and a single market.
In Serbia, this particularly applies to part of the outsourcing sector. This segment depends on Western clients, primarily from the United States and the European Union, where cuts in IT budgets have led to a decline in demand for services.
According to expert estimates, this pressure will remain present throughout 2026, with continued team optimisation in IT services companies and a focus on more experienced staff whose knowledge can be competitive and commercially viable.
We asked representatives of IT companies – directors, employees, as well as experts – what kind of 2026 the IT sector in Serbia can expect.
“It will be a harder year than the previous one”
Saša Popović, founder and CEO of the company Vega, says it seems that 2026 will be even more difficult, influenced by several factors. These include interest rate and inflation trends, the geopolitical situation, and regulation (in terms of AI, privacy and security).
Another factor is companies’ ability to demonstrate measurable ROI (return on investment) and to deliver value more quickly, especially those working with artificial intelligence, where significant investments were made in 2025, he adds.
“My impression is that in Western markets we can expect IT spending growth of around 10 per cent in 2026. This could be beneficial for certain companies that, with a lot of effort, manage to win part of that business. My general impression regarding 2026 is that a tough year lies ahead, but there will be work for those who do not give up and who make a serious effort to capture part of the work available on the global market,” Popović told Forbes Serbia.
Heavy investment in AI – will the bubble burst?
As he explains, the IT sector is currently inside a “financial bubble” caused by massive investments in artificial intelligence. During 2026, it could happen that this bubble bursts, resulting in even less investment until investors regroup.
“I hope I am wrong and that there will only be some kind of consolidation of investments and of the market in general,” he explains.
The global situation in 2025 also looked somewhat strange, he says.
“On the one hand, we had a large number of companies that were still optimising costs, reorganising teams, or laying people off, and changing project priorities. This resulted in lower investment in innovation and digitalisation compared to just three years ago. On the other hand, we could see significant investments in the field of AI,” he notes.
This contributed to there still being work and money in the IT sector, which enabled continued growth.
What troubles IT companies
Many companies in Serbia have been affected by a lack of work on the global market or by problems in specific industries, such as the automotive sector. This resulted in reduced revenues and, in some cases, led to decisions to lay off a large number of employees, he adds.
The hardest hit are those that have not yet managed to transform their business towards providing value-added services, says Popović. He also points to some changes that will continue to dictate the pace.
“Today there is less demand for programmers who will simply build what a client asks for. The market still needs the products and services of IT companies, but it expects them to come with concrete solutions, proposals, innovations and ideas for increasing revenues or reducing operating costs,” he emphasises.
In addition, businesses operating with lower margins are also more exposed to risk, because demand is lower than supply, so clients often negotiate more aggressively to push prices down.
“Domestic start-ups are also at risk, as there is currently less money available on the market. This is especially true if they have not focused on areas where it is more likely that investors will be willing to invest in 2026,” Popović adds.
Popović expects that in 2026 the most in-demand skills will be related to processing and storing large volumes of data (data engineering), maintenance and optimisation of cloud solutions (DevOps and FinOps), cybersecurity, and artificial intelligence.
Fewer new IT projects
As Nebojša Bjelotomić, adviser to the president of the Serbian Chamber of Commerce, says, we are witnessing a crisis in the IT services segment. Geopolitical circumstances and disrupted global economic relations have only further deepened this crisis. The latest factor influencing the negative trend is technological change, primarily the development of artificial intelligence.
“A superficial assessment might suggest that the ability of AI tools to generate code reduces the need for programmers and their services; however, there is no solid evidence for such a development,” Bjelotomić points out.
AI as a tool, not a replacement for IT
The capabilities of tools such as ChatGPT or Claude are still not at a level that allows the delivery of a complete IT project based on a single user prompt without technical knowledge.
For now, they help programmers complete projects faster and with fewer resources, he explains.
“At the same time, it is evident that end users who until recently did not think they had the capacity to deal with IT staff – to hire them, develop them, retain them and manage complex projects – are increasingly believing that they can,” says Bjelotomić. “The ongoing economic crisis is certainly one of the reasons. There is significantly less money on the market, so users cannot afford the benefits of outsourcing, which allows them not to worry about IT and to focus only on their core business,” he says.
Experience is in demand
He also points out that more is now being expected for the same or even less money, primarily through greater team seniority, not only in a technical sense, but also in terms of professional experience and understanding of different industries.
This is why the trend continues in which it is difficult to “enter” an IT services company without experience.
“This is a problem that will also exist throughout 2026. Team optimisation in IT services companies will continue, with the aim of increasing the level of seniority that can be sold and billed,” he concludes.
Caution and selectivity
According to representatives of the website HelloWorld, which monitors developments in the IT industry market, the sector ended 2025 more stable than the previous two years, but is entering 2026 cautiously.
Data from the site show that the volume of hiring has not returned to pre-2022 levels. Companies are hiring more selectively, with clearer expectations and a focus on specific business needs rather than growth at any cost.
Globally, the IT industry has gone through a “cooling” process, which was in fact a correction after a period of excessive growth, they explain.
A year of consolidation, not crisis
Large technology companies have stabilised their operations, cut costs and reorganised teams. More attention is now being paid to efficiency, profitability and sustainable development models. In that sense, 2025 was a year of consolidation rather than crisis, they say.
The companies most affected are those that grew rapidly in previous years without a clear business model or that relied heavily on a single type of client or market.
In Serbia, this primarily applies to part of the outsourcing sector that depends on Western clients, especially from the US and the EU, where investments have slowed.
Outlook for 2026
The outlook for 2026 will depend on several factors, above all, global economic stability, the pace of investment recovery and companies’ ability to adapt to new market demands, say HelloWorld representatives.
They note that, alongside AI solutions, the focus will also be on cybersecurity, optimisation of existing systems, development of software that directly supports core business activities, and solutions for industry and large business systems.
In other words, practical application of technology will be sought, not just innovation.
As for layoffs in the IT sector, they are still present, but are no longer the dominant trend as they were a year or two ago. “Here, it is mostly about individual cases and smaller team adjustments, most often in companies that have seen a decline in workload or have withdrawn from certain markets,” they add.
Companies more cautious
It is noticeable that pressure on the labour market is lower than before. Companies today make more effort to reallocate resources rather than resort to mass layoffs, they explain.
The lowest demand on the site is currently recorded for junior positions, especially in areas where the supply of candidates is high and training requires significant investment of time and resources. Companies are more cautious and more often look for people who can join projects quickly.
In the domestic IT sector, a decline in employee satisfaction is being recorded. What is the reason?
Most often, it is the result of a combination of factors: uncertainty, slower wage growth, reduced benefits and higher employer expectations. After years in which IT was a symbol of rapid advancement and security, the reality has changed, HelloWorld representatives state.
The IT sector has returned to more realistic boundaries. For example, working from home is still very common, but it is no longer taken for granted to the same extent as before. Hybrid models are being offered more often. Full remote work is more frequently associated with senior positions or foreign employers.
Employees still expect flexibility, but are aware that the rules are changing. Companies are seeking a better balance between productivity, team collaboration and culture, they add.
Current salaries in the IT sector by position
Junior positions: from 800 to 1,200 euros
Mid-level positions: from 1,500 to 2,500 euros
Senior positions: more than 3,000 euros, sometimes more
Source: HelloWorld website
“IT no longer offers the same security as before”
Anastasija Engelhard, a software quality engineer at DXC Luxoft, says that the IT sector ended the year in a phase of stabilisation, but with a clear change in the way work is done. The biggest difference compared to earlier periods is that AI has become a standard part of everyday work, rather than an experiment or an additional tool.
Global waves of layoffs and budget cuts among clients have spilled over into the domestic market as well, which has shown that the IT sector no longer offers the same level of job security as before, she says.
“In 2026, stabilisation can be expected. However, not a return to the previous pace of growth, with a focus on sustainable projects and long-term clients,” she notes.
She also states that employer requirements have increased. Even for junior roles, internships, freelance experience or project experience are increasingly expected. Just a few years ago, this was only a desirable option.
From her personal observation, through work with the IT community, a decline in community-oriented activities is noticeable. There are fewer conferences, and she observes a similar trend when it comes to education budgets.
“Several colleagues have contacted me with information that their training budgets have been reduced or cancelled, and that benefits related to conferences have disappeared,” Anastasija says. “These are personal observations based on communication with colleagues from the industry, but they clearly reflect a sense of stagnation and reduced employee satisfaction.”
Reassessing the situation
Milan Petek, founder and CEO of Petcom, says that globally it is felt that the period of excessive optimism and rapid growth is behind us.
“Companies that have clear solutions, stable customers and an understanding of the local market are doing better. Those who lived off short-term projects had to seriously reassess themselves,” he says.
In 2026, stability is expected. “That may be its greatest value. This year will clearly show who has a plan and who was merely reacting to circumstances,” he explains.
Specifically, this company’s line of work includes software solutions for fiscalisation, POS systems and business software, for which demand will not disappear. “On the contrary, regulations are changing, systems are being interconnected, and the economy is looking for simple and reliable solutions,” he explains.
With this in mind, the company had to be more precise and ask what users really need, rather than what is currently fashionable.
“It is not just about the product, but whether it solves a real problem”
“Today it is no longer enough for someone to simply ‘know a tool’. People are looking for those who understand how a system works in practice,” Petek emphasises.
Those who perform best are people who understand processes, users and the responsibility that software carries. “Such profiles are irreplaceable today, especially in complex systems such as fiscal and business solutions,” he explains.
He says that the most valued experts will be those who know how to think, adapt and “see the bigger picture”. Technologies will change, but the ability to understand and solve problems in a real environment remains crucial. Knowledge reduced to routine is slowly losing importance, Petek observes.
In other words, it is not just important to have a product, but to have a product that solves a real problem.
“Technology changes, but people remain. I believe that companies that understand this will have the most reason for optimism in the years to come,” Milan Petek concludes.
(Forbes Serbia, 12.01.2026)