IT SECTOR AS A FACTOR OF ECONOMIC STABILITY AND RECOVERY OF THE NATIONAL ECONOMY OF UKRAINE

Abstract

The article examines the role of the IT sector as a strategic resource for ensuring economic resilience and subsequent post-war recovery of the national economy of Ukraine. It is substantiated that under the conditions of unprecedented external shocks, the IT industry has transformed from a service sector into a fundamental anti-crisis stabilizer of the macroeconomic system. The aim of the article is to provide a theoretical substantiation and conceptualization of the IT sector’s role as a strategic factor in ensuring the adaptive resilience of Ukraine’s national economy, as well as to define the mechanisms of its influence on structural recovery processes in the context of global digitalization and Industry 4.0. The methodological framework of the study is based on a systems approach. During the research, a complex of methods was applied: dialectical and logical-generalization methods – to clarify the essence of the terms "economic resilience" and "digital spillovers"; systemic-structural analysis – to examine intersectoral linkages under Industry 4.0 conditions; statistical and comparative analysis – to assess the contribution of IT services to macroeconomic stability; the graphical method – to visualize the interaction model between the digital and real sectors of the economy. The author analyzes the IT sector through the prism of three functional roles: a source of stable foreign exchange earnings, a technological core for the digitalization of traditional industries (agriculture, logistics, energy), and a basis for the development of defense technologies (Defense Tech). Particular attention is paid to the conceptualization of the multiplicative effects generated by the digital economy. Unlike existing approaches, the paper proposes a model of "adaptive resilience," which considers not only the industry's ability to survive but also its potential to create "digital spillovers" into related sectors, accelerating their recovery. It is proved that the intellectual core of the IT sphere becomes a decisive factor in overcoming institutional barriers and stimulating structural transformations in the context of Industry 4.0. The results of the study can be used to adjust state strategies for the recovery of Ukraine, where the IT sector is considered not as an isolated export segment but as an integral component of the new architecture of national security and economic self-sufficiency.