Ukraine may lack more than half a million workers in 2025

In 2025, Ukraine will lack more than half a million skilled workers, which will pose a serious challenge to the economy. The largest shortage is expected among blue-collar workers and specialists in technical fields.

This was stated by the President of the Confederation of Employers of Ukraine Oleksiy Miroshnychenko in a commentary to the media. The main reason for the shortage is a lack of specialists with the necessary professional skills and increased competition between employers for qualified personnel. According to Miroshnychenko, the labor market deficit will happen due to several key factors:

• Emigration of workers abroad. After the outbreak of a full-scale war and the economic crisis, many Ukrainians left for European countries where wages are much higher.
• Demographic decline. The natural decline in the working-age population is another important reason for the shortage of workers.
• Low popularity of working professions. In recent years, interest in working professions has dropped, which creates an imbalance in the labor market.

Miroshnychenko also notes the growth of wages, which is faster than economic growth. "If GDP grows by 4%, wages increase by 14%. This is not okay for the economy. Although the increase in wages itself is a positive factor, such a disproportion can create additional challenges for business," he said.

Another important aspect that affects the labor market is the competition for personnel between public and private entities. Public institutions offer stability, while the private sector is willing to pay more to attract professionals. As a result, staff turnover is increasing and the struggle for qualified workers is intensifying.

The problem of veterans' adaptation after returning from the front will be another major challenge for the labor market in 2025. According to Miroshnychenko, more than 60% of servicemen plan to change their profession or start their own business after completing their service. This will require active work to create professional orientation and retraining programs for veterans.

Supporting veterans should be a priority, as they are an important human resource for the development of the country's economy. Rehabilitation and retraining programs can help them find themselves in new fields of activity and return to peaceful life with new skills.

As previously reported, the Ukrainian labor market is already lacking workers, especially in the field of blue-collar occupations. Businesses are struggling with the shortage of staff by increasing wages, but this only further impedes competition between companies for existing employees, and their number in the market is not changing.

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