The war took away work from almost a third of Ukrainians. At the same time, the demand for employment in different regions of Ukraine has changed, because according to the UN, more than 4.7 million Ukrainians are officially registered as refugees with temporary protection, and about 7.7 million have become internally displaced persons. Read more in the exclusive blog for Channel 24 website.

This, in turn, also affects the structure of the labor market. So, let's find out what specialists are needed during the war and in which regions of Ukraine the highest salaries.

The labor market is gradually recovering

The labor market in Ukraine is acutely feeling the consequences of the war, but is gradually recovering. Today, the number of unemployed is still quite high. According to the Ministry of Economy, there are 2.6 million such persons. However, according to the forecast of the National Bank of Ukraine, during this and next year the situation will improve due to the expansion of demand for labor against the backdrop of a recovery in economic activity. The unemployment rate is expected to fall to 20% in 2024 and to 17.6% in 2025.

We see a gradual recovery trend at OLX Work. So, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and to this day, the number of vacancies on the platform has increased by 2 times.

Who do employers need?

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion and today, employers are most actively looking for workers in logistics, trade and manufacturing. According to our platform, the leaders in terms of the number of job offers were drivers with an average salary of UAH 21,500. Sellers are no less in demand, on average, such specialists are offered 10.6 thousand hryvnias. Seamstresses/tailors and laborers are also not far behind in terms of the number of vacancies. Employers are willing to pay UAH 14,500 and UAH 10,500 for such work, respectively.

I note that, despite the war, the level of salaries has slightly increased for almost all the most sought-after specialists in working professions compared to 2021, the year of the pandemic.

The most popular vacancies in Ukraine / Table OLX Robot

What kind of work Ukrainians are looking for during the war

During the war, demand from job seekers was very similar to offers from employers. According to our data, users were also most interested in vacancies in the field of logistics, trade, and also construction. In particular, the most responded, and hence the greatest competition for such job offers:

• salesman;
• driver;
• handyman;
• security guard;
• loader;
• builder;
• barista;
• cleaner;
• cook;
• courier.

Which regions of Ukraine pay the most

There are 4.8 million internally displaced persons (IDPs) registered in Ukraine, but their real number is almost 7 million, according to the Ministry of Reintegration. Most of the migrants live in Kyiv, Kharkov and Dnepropetrovsk regions. But least of all IDPs are officially registered in the West of Ukraine. I want to note that such a trend of “heterogeneity” can be traced both in demand and in the level of salaries for vacancies in the regions of Ukraine.

According to our analytics, during the war, the highest average wages were in Ternopil (average 23.5 thousand hryvnia), Volyn (21.5 thousand hryvnia), Zakarpattia (21 thousand hryvnia), Rivne (21 thousand hryvnia) and Lviv ( 19.5 thousand hryvnia) regions.

I will add that in these areas, for the most part, the highest wages were for vacancies for drivers and builders.

Average salary in Ukraine in working areas in 2022

According to the Verkhovna Rada Finance Committee, the average salary in Ukraine increased by 6% in 2022. We see an upward trend on our platform as well. On average, across all categories, there is an increase in wages compared to the year of the pandemic (2021). For example, in the field of logistics, on average, salaries increased by 20%, in the manufacturing sector by 10%, and in retail by 25%, namely:

• Service stations / car washes: UAH 32,000;
• call centers / telecommunications: UAH 21,000;
• logistics / warehouse / delivery: UAH 20,500;
• construction / facing works: UAH 18,000;
• production / working specialties: UAH 15,000;
• retail / sales / purchases: UAH 14,500;

Transformation of the labor market in times of war

What happened to the labor market during the war? Reducing the number of jobs. The war led to a decrease in the size of production and a reduction in the activities of companies or their complete destruction. This led to a significant decrease in the number of jobs and, as a result, a rapid increase in unemployment. Especially in the first months of a full-scale invasion.

However, despite the war, the overall structure of the labor market has not undergone critical changes. In particular, we have always observed an increased demand for drivers, sellers, manufacturers. So it was in peacetime, and during all crises. After all, it is the specialists in retail trade (primarily in the food sector), logistics, and production who are based on the life-supporting functions of the population. The need for them does not stop even in the most critical times.

However, some changes did take place. Due to the war, there has been an increase in demand for some professions related to the security and defense of the country. For example, military doctors, engineers, orderlies, psychologists, etc. We need cooks and seamstresses – specialists whose work is in demand in both the civilian and military sectors.

What skills will be needed in the future

An increased demand is expected for specialists in the field of reconstruction, restoration of buildings and infrastructure, as well as medical and social workers helping victims of war.

The war definitely affects the level of wages. Although nominally wages are gradually increasing, it is expected that the further, the more heterogeneous will be the changes in wages in different sectors of the economy.

For example, an increase in demand for certain professions may lead to higher wages for these professionals, while other war-affected sectors will see their wages decline or stagnate.

Development of the humanitarian sector. Work in the humanitarian sector such as charity, volunteering, social assistance, psychological support and more. These directions are kept thanks to the strength and spirit of caring Ukrainians, or foreign donors. However, given the terrible consequences of the war that we have already faced, there is an understanding that work in these areas will be needed for a long time to come. I hope he will gain strong support and decent pay for the workers involved, because it is they who help to alleviate the social consequences of the war.