Chapter 2: Reducing Uncertainty by Contextualising Talent

Russia’s aggression against Ukraine in 2022 may signify the end of the globalisation process as we know it, as one of the larger and advanced economies of the world has deliberately chosen the path of autarky and confrontation with most developed countries. This looked like an unlikely scenario until the very moment it happened, sharply highlighting the scale of uncertainty that threatens international economic activity, including global talent management (GTM). The war had an impact on the market for talent almost immediately. Russian independent media reported on tens of thousands of highly qualified specialists in various professions, mostly IT, who left Russia in the first weeks of the conflict, settled in neighbouring countries seeking contracts with international companies (Meduza.io, 2021a, 2021b; novayagazeta.ru, 2021). At the same time, a huge wave of refugees forced to leave Ukraine in fear of war created premises for an increase of readily available talent for hire on the global market.