The labor market in Ukraine is changing, as the demand for workers is growing, women are mastering "male" professions, and the number of working teenagers is increasing. As of February 5, 2025, 123,000 Ukrainians are looking for work, and there are 221,000 open vacancies. This was reported to a UNN journalist by the State Employment Center.
Details
As of February 5, 2025, 123,000 people in Ukraine are looking for work through the State Employment Service, of whom 100,000 are officially registered as unemployed. Despite the fact that the war has significantly affected the labor market, the demand for specialists in various fields remains stable.
Last year, 478,000 Ukrainians applied to employment centers for help with employment. However, it is quite difficult to determine the exact unemployment rate, as the State Statistics Service has not conducted relevant research since 2022 due to military operations.
The largest number of applications to employment centers in 2024 was recorded in large cities. Kyiv, Kharkiv, Dnipro, Lviv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia are where most people were looking for work. This is due to both the economic activity of these regions and the fact that many displaced people appeared in these cities after the start of the war.
Despite the difficulties, there is work in Ukraine. As of early February 2025, the "Unified Vacancy Portal" has 221,000 offers in various fields.
Which professions are most in demand?
Vacancies are distributed among several main areas:
1. Trade and services sector.
The demand for workers in this industry traditionally remains high. Employers are mostly looking for:
• sellers – over 18,000 open vacancies;
• administrators – 7,000;
• cooks – 5,000;
• there is also a demand for baristas, sales representatives, waiters, security guards, bakers – 2,000 vacancies in each category.
2. Blue-collar professions.
Specialists in specific technical and blue-collar professions are also in stable demand:
• drivers – 10,000 vacancies;
• locksmiths – 5,000;
• seamstresses, electricians, electrical fitters – 2,000 open offers each.
3. Specialists and professionals.
Intellectual labor also remains valuable. The most in-demand specialties are:
• accountant – 7,000 vacancies;
• engineer – 6,000;
• doctors, pharmacists, nurses, mechanics, freight forwarders, teachers, and economists – from 1,000 to 4,000 offers in each category.
4. Unskilled labor.
For those without special education or experience, there is also work. Among the most common vacancies are:
• loaders – 4,000 offers;
• cleaners and warehouse workers – 3,000 vacancies;
• auxiliary workers – over 1,000 open positions.
Some professions constantly remain on the list of the most in-demand due to high staff turnover. For example, sellers, waiters, baristas, loaders, and auxiliary workers often change jobs. In addition, vacancies for accountants, drivers, economists, and lawyers appear regularly.
Changes are ongoing in the Ukrainian labor market, related to a shortage of labor. One of the key reasons for this phenomenon is the conscription of men for military service, which creates difficulties in filling vacancies in traditionally "male" fields.
Builders, welders, locksmiths, electricians, drivers – these specialties are currently particularly in demand, but finding enough workers is becoming increasingly difficult.
In such circumstances, stereotypes about purely "male" professions are gradually breaking down, and more and more women are mastering specialties that were previously considered inaccessible to them.
The State Employment Center says that in 2024, women began working as machine operators, crane operators, truck drivers, and even locksmiths.
According to official data, last year, the following women were employed in traditionally male fields:
• 274 women became woodworking machine operators;
• 238 women work as pump operators;
• 104 women mastered the profession of crane operator;
• 97 women became mechanical assembly locksmiths;
• 92 women were employed as drivers;
• 72 women perform the duties of loaders;
• 64 women work as CNC machine operators;
• 56 women became repair locksmiths;
• 40 women work as underground installation operators;
• 27 women operate forklifts;
• 25 women mastered the profession of turner;
• 22 women became metallurgical crane operators.
Women are also starting to work in the construction sector, although this process is not yet widespread.
When asked by a UNN journalist whether the number of working teenagers is increasing, the employment center replied:
"According to the State Employment Center, in 2024, 397 minors used the services of the service (in 2023, there were 296). 210 teenagers were able to find employment with the assistance of employment centers – this is twice as many as in 2023, when there were only 102 such people."
Recall
The Ukrainian economy, although it has shrunk by a quarter compared to 2021, for the first time since the beginning of the full-scale invasion in 2022, demonstrates advantages over the Russian one in a number of key indicators.
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