Main points
- Ukrainian business is facing a shortage of personnel, with a shortage of about two million workers.
- 62% of vacancies are not filled, which leads to a slowdown in economic growth.
Ukrainian business is “suffocating” due to a shortage of personnel / REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk
Ukrainian businesses are facing an acute shortage of staff, which is already affecting the economy. According to experts, companies are short about two million workers.
What is the current shortage of workers in companies?
The situation is approaching critical. This was stated by Doctor of Economic Sciences Andriy Dligach on the air of News.LIVE.
The expert emphasizes: labor shortage is becoming a key barrier to economic growth. Despite the development of technology, automation is not able to completely replace people.
In business, 62% of vacancies are already unfilled. 75% of companies indicate a huge shortage: as of now, about two million workers. We have negative economic growth indicators,
– Andriy Dligach summed up.
Thus, the labor market has found itself in a situation where the demand for workers significantly exceeds the supply, which creates additional pressure on business and hinders economic development.
What does this mean?
- there are more vacancies than people
- the business cannot scale
- the economy is losing growth momentum
Note! The labor shortage is becoming a systemic problem for Ukraine. Without addressing this issue, economic growth will remain limited, even with demand and investment.
What are the reasons for the staff shortage?
In a comment for Channel 24, employment expert Valentyna Gavryushenko said that the reasons for the shortage of workers in the labor market vary depending on the business sector.
These reasons include both war and mobilization, as well as external migration. Demographic changes also play a role, as the war accelerated these processes, especially among the working-age population.
Valentina Gavryushenko
HP Manager
It is also worth paying attention to the reason related to the structural mismatch of skills. That is, applicants often do not have the skills that employers need. This exacerbates the “supply and demand gap” in the labor market.
In response to a request from Channel 24, Work.ua also noted that among the 3 main reasons for the shortage of personnel are war, demographic aging, and unemployment.
A study from OLX Jobs emphasizes that due to the staffing crisis in 2025, employers have increased their hiring of older people, as well as people with UBD status and disabilities.
In addition, according to employment expert Valentyna Gavryushenko, one of the methods for employers to overcome the shortage of personnel has been to attract women to professions that are stereotypically considered “male.”
For example, women are becoming trolleybus, tram, forklift, and truck drivers. According to official employment service data, in 2025, tens of thousands of women began working in positions that were previously considered exclusively “male”,
– adds Havryushenko.
How can the problem of labor shortage be overcome?
Today, there are over 10 million pensioners in Ukraine. At the same time, approximately half of them receive a pension of up to 5 thousand hryvnias, which actually means living on the verge of basic needs, writes “Glavkom”.
Against this background, the issue of employment of people aged 60+ acquires not only social but also economic importance. In conditions of war, the labor market experiences a serious shortage of personnel: part of the population has left abroad, a significant number of people are in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Despite this, older workers often face prejudice. Employers often doubt their ability to adapt to new technologies or work at a modern pace. At the same time, such workers have significant professional experience, knowledge, and a well-established work ethic.
My position as the head of the relevant committee and secretary of the National Recovery Council is clear: the state should not simply “ask” businesses to hire people 60+, but create concrete economic incentives for this,
– believes People's Deputy Danylo Hetmantsev.
In this case, the expert suggests the following steps:
- Tax incentives. It is worth introducing benefits for employers who hire people 60+: partial compensation for social security contributions or tax deductions. This should be beneficial for both parties.
- Lifelong learning. The state, through employment centers, should finance retraining. With the right foundation and motivation, even at 60+, it is possible to master new skills.
- Legal employment. It is necessary to remove the barriers that prevent pensioners from working “in the shadows.” Official work should not deprive them of benefits – on the contrary, the state should guarantee support.
What else is known about the 2026 labor market in Ukraine?
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67% of employers in Ukraine report a shortage of workers, a record since the start of the full-scale war. In addition to the staff shortage, businesses are hampered by rising raw material prices, security risks, and energy supply disruptions, although pressure and corruption remain less significant problems.
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Demand for remote work in Ukraine exceeds supply, with only 7% of vacancies being remote. Remote work is popular due to war, relocation, the desire for flexible schedules, and restrictions for certain groups of the population.