Not just IT. Who earns the most in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The highest incomes in Ukraine are held by top managers in the energy sector, state-owned companies, and lawyers. Executives receive from 500,000 hryvnias to 60,000 dollars.
In Ukraine, there is a common belief that earning decent money (legally, without stealing or cheating the state) today is only possible in IT. But whether this is actually the case, UNN investigated.
In April 2026, the average salary in Ukraine was 28,900 UAH. However, this figure reflects reality only relatively, as there is a huge gap between the lowest and highest salaries. A good specialist in certain fields can count on truly decent pay for their work.
Average salary by industry
According to the State Statistics Service, the highest average salary is still in the information and telecommunications sector – 78,941 UAH. At the same time, according to Work.ua, among the highest-paid positions are: Net programmer − 82,500 UAH, marketing director − 80,000 UAH, deputy financial director − 80,000 UAH, head of sales − 70,000 UAH, procurement director − 70,000 UAH, and orthodontist − 70,000 UAH.
Somewhat lagging behind, but still exceeding the national average, are the salaries of air transport workers – about 58,240 UAH, and finance and insurance – about 54,901 UAH.
But there is also a surprise. For instance, the OLX Robota service indicates that the highest median salaries are for dentists – they reach 150,000 hryvnias per month.
But do not rush to conclusions. These are still averaged figures from open job postings; at least some of them may not account for additional payments, such as KPI bonuses. Moreover, in some cases, truly top-tier specialists who are offered high salaries are not sought through classified ads. We tried to find out who can actually receive truly high salaries.
TOPs among the TOPs
By now, almost everyone has heard repeatedly about the salary of Ukrposhta CEO Ihor Smilyanskyi. However, as it turned out, it is impossible to say exactly how much Smilyanskyi receives now. He no longer submits declarations, and the figures cited mostly relate to the 2021-23 period. For example, in 2021, he earned 1.6 million UAH per month (19.2 million UAH per year) before taxes. Smilyanskyi himself partially revealed the secret – in 2024, according to his words, he received an average of just over 577,000 hryvnias per month – this is already "net" income.
We assume that his salary has increased since then. But he is unlikely to be the leader among heads of state-owned companies. For instance, Serhiy Koretskyi, appointed as Chairman of the Board of Naftogaz at the end of April 2025, according to his declaration, earned 14.4 million UAH by the end of that same year – which is an average of about 1.75 million UAH per month. By the way, as director of Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta, Koretskyi earned even more – about 2.2 million UAH per month.
The earnings of the Governor of the National Bank, Andriy Pyshnyi, are somewhat more modest – for 2025, he declared 7.02 million UAH – which is about 585,000 hryvnias per month.
But, you might say, these are heads of top state companies and institutions. Yet they are not the only ones who can earn millions. For example, Pyshnyi's subordinate – the director of the legal department of the National Bank, Oleksandr Zyma – surpassed his boss and earned over 7.8 million UAH in 2025.
What about the non-state sector?
Finding out specifically who has the highest salaries in the private sector is somewhat more difficult – companies are in no hurry to disclose information. And here, the IT sector is precisely the most open. Among managers in this industry, the median salary is approximately $6,600 per month. However, according to independent estimates, executives in top positions responsible for strategic issues can receive up to $20,000 per month.
What about other industries? There is significantly less information, and it mostly concerns the period before the start of the full-scale invasion. But year after year, the highest salary is attributed to the CEO of DTEK, Maksym Timchenko – $60,000 per month, and that's without bonuses and compensations. A slightly more modest figure of $55,000 appeared in the media as the salary of Metinvest director Yuriy Ryzhenkov. Generally, energy and heavy industry are considered the sectors where managers (not just CEOs) receive the highest salaries. A salary of, for example, 300,000 hryvnias per month is not the limit here, as bonuses, compensations, and KPIs can be added to it. Also, quite expectedly, key executives in the financial sector receive high remuneration for their work. It is believed to be somewhat more modest than in energy or heavy industry, but it can still easily exceed 200,000 hryvnias per month – and that's just the base rate. No one talks about additional payments.
Salaries also vary depending on the department a specific specialist manages, and here one of the most attractive areas is HR. A clear salary gradation could not be found, but in large companies, they likely range from 200,000 hryvnias to tens of thousands of dollars. Experienced lawyers also usually receive quite generous rewards – regardless of the company's field of work – major players are ready to pay in-house legal advisors from 180,000 hryvnias per month. And again – this is just the base rate. According to our information, the remuneration of a head of the legal department can even exceed the salary of the director of the entire enterprise. Such are the realities – without a professional – read: "expensive" – lawyer, it is difficult to operate.
In general, lawyers – specifically high-end ones – are a separate category. Their true income is quite difficult to calculate, as it can consist not only of a base rate but also hourly pay (which can exceed several hundred dollars per hour). And add to that, for example, fees for court victories. To retain a TOP lawyer, large companies, corporations, or funds spare no expense. According to insider information, professional corporate lawyers can receive from $20,000 per month.
So it turns out that not only IT specialists are capable of earning money. They are simply the most open regarding financial matters. Furthermore, everything indicates that this field still has the smallest gap between the highest and lowest salaries. But in other fields, one must prove themselves as a specialist "worth their weight in gold," possessing unique skills and competencies.