/en/blog · writing
Increased tax burden and VAT have extended the chain of markups in outstaffing. In 2026, it is more profitable for businesses to "rent" individual entrepreneurs (IEs) and small teams.
There's a feeling that IT has become the "new oil" from which everyone decided to squeeze the maximum.
What has changed over the past year:
And here's what's happening with classical outstaffing.
Client → Integrator → Agency → Contractor → Specialist
Each link adds:
In 2022-2024, it still "held up". In 2026 - the chain of markups simply kills the project's economics.
A developer costs 250,000 ₽.
After 3-4 intermediaries, the cost for the client easily becomes:
350-420 thousand ₽ per month.
At the same time:
Only the client pays.
And for small and medium-sized businesses, this becomes critical.
Traditional outstaffing is a linear economy:
more projects → more managers → more intermediaries → higher cost
But in 2026, the winner is not the one with more "people in the chain", but the one with the shortest path from task to executor.
Direct collaboration with:
Without 4-5 intermediary links.
Client → Platform / Skolkovo Resident → IE or Mini-Team
Without unnecessary markups.
What this provides:
Classical outstaffing was profitable when:
Now, everything is counted.
And companies are starting to choose:
not the "intermediary's brand", but the real project economics.
If you remove unnecessary links, IT once again becomes a tool for growth, and not an item that eats into profits.
In the new tax reality, the winner is the one who works directly with technological partners and "rents" expertise, instead of overpaying for a chain of intermediaries.