IT SPHERE OF UKRAINE AS AN INDICATOR OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF INNOVATIVE ENTREPRENEURSHIP

Abstract

The article explores the role of the IT sector as a key indicator of the development of innovative entrepreneurship in Ukraine. The theoretical and methodological foundations of the definition of the concept of "IT sector" from the standpoint of functional, industry and institutional approaches are revealed. It is proven that the modern IT sector acts as a system-forming element of the digital economy, ensuring the structural transformation of the business environment, increasing the efficiency of economic processes and strengthening the competitive positions of the state in the global technological space. The article emphasizes that information technologies increasingly affect the dynamics of macroeconomic indicators, in particular, GDP growth, the speed of information circulation, cost rationalization and increased transparency of management decisions. An approach to considering the IT sector as a complex multi-level system of technological, economic and social relationships that ensure the generation, processing, storage and use of information as a strategic resource of the post-industrial economy is formulated. Based on the generalization of statistical data from the State Statistics Service of Ukraine, the key trends in the development of information and communication technologies in 2021–2025 were analyzed. It was found that, despite the reduction in the number of enterprises with access to the Internet, there is an increase in the digital involvement of personnel, the spread of fixed connections and an increase in the share of companies using cloud services. This indicates a structural renewal of the business environment and a gradual transition to a more sustainable digital model of functioning. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of the state of the Ukrainian IT market in 2025, which continues to function in conditions of prolonged martial law. It was determined that the industry demonstrates high adaptability and stability due to flexible forms of employment, the development of outsourcing models, the relocation of companies and the digital flexibility of teams. At the same time, a personnel shortage was recorded in high-tech areas (AI, DevOps, Data Science, cybersecurity), which necessitates the activation of internal training programs, retraining and the involvement of young specialists. It is confirmed that the IT sphere of Ukraine is becoming a strategic indicator of the development of innovative entrepreneurship, reflecting the level of technological readiness of the economy to global challenges and forming the prerequisites for the creation of an information society. Its further development requires the coordination of state innovation policy with corporate strategies of digitalization, the formation of sustainable investment channels and the strengthening of human capital.