Abstract: Purpose. To obtain an alternative estimate of the outsourcing segment share in Ukraine’s IT labor market using LinkedIn professional network data and to compare it with DOU survey results and IT Research Ukraine 2025 findings.

Methods. Measurements were conducted in August 2025 using LinkedIn Talent Insights following the principle of «one platform – one denominator»: both the numerator (outsourcing professionals) and denominator (entire IT population) were determined using identical filter configurations (Location = Ukraine, stabilized skills anchor). The outsourcing segment was identified using a curated list of 389 service companies. The primary measurement covered companies with 50+ employees, supplemented by a pilot for companies with fewer than 50.

The theoretical framework of firm size distributions (Zipf/Pareto) and structural heterogeneity analysis of the «long tail» were employed for result interpretation. Results. In the 50+ company segment, the outsourcing share is approximately 35 % of the LinkedIn-visible IT population. This estimate represents a conservative lower bound: theoretical analysis indicates that the service segment share in the «long tail» of small firms is likely no lower – and potentially higher – than in the 50+ segment, due to lower entry barriers and absence of scale economies in service models. Comparison with IT Research Ukraine 2025 (46 % outsourcing companies among 2,062 surveyed) and DOU (approximate parity of ~40 %/40 % among individual respondents in 2023) demonstrates qualitative consistency across all three sources. Conclusions. LinkedIn is a viable alternative source for relative structural estimates of IT labor markets in the high-skill segment. The method can be applied to other countries provided that sectoral platform penetration is taken into account.