More than half of Ukrainians plan to change their profession this year: what employers have to adapt to

In 2025, half of Ukrainians plan to change jobs, indicating growing activity in the labor market and changing priorities of employees. Employers are forced to adapt to new realities by offering flexible conditions, training, and a better work-life balance.

This was reported by the Ministry of Finance. The staff shortage has become a major problem for many Ukrainian employers. By the end of 2024, 60% of companies faced a shortage of staff, and the situation is only getting worse. The key reasons are:

• labor migration abroad driven by the search for stable working and living conditions;
• mobilization processes, which have significantly reduced the number of employees, especially in the category of men;
• the preference for informal employment, which allows avoiding the risk of mobilization or receiving higher salaries without taxation.

Despite the large number of vacancies, many Ukrainians are unable to find work that meets their expectations. The main problems include:

• overly high requirements of employers - job seekers often lack qualifications, experience or knowledge of foreign languages;

• distrust of working conditions, as some companies indicate unrealistic salaries or requirements;
• discrimination based on age and other factors, although this trend is gradually decreasing.

Studies show that for popular positions, such as chat managers, the number of candidates is 20-30 times higher than the demand. At the same time, less competitive positions, such as construction or defense specialists, often lack qualified applicants. The labor market is gradually adapting to modern challenges by offering new work formats. Here are some key trends:

• flexible working hours and remote work - the popularity of this format continues to grow, especially among the younger generation;
• investment in training and development - more than 30% of employers are increasing their budgets for professional training in an effort to address the skills gap;
• Improving corporate culture - employers are focusing on creating favorable conditions for employees, including bonuses, health insurance and psychological health programs.

The year promises to be active for the Ukrainian labor market. Businesses plan to hire more employees, but face the need to adapt their strategies to changes in employee priorities. In particular, people are increasingly valuing work-life balance over financial performance.

Ukrainians will also be more likely to change careers. Public and private initiatives will offer retraining courses to meet the need for personnel in the fields of reconstruction, defense, and medicine.

As OBOZ.UA previously reported, the number of vacancies in Ukraine decreased by 19% in December 2024, but the demand for workers in the field of "Security, Safety" increased due to vacancies from the Defense Forces. The most sought-after industries are transportation, telecommunications, medicine, manufacturing, and sales.

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