Ukraine’s population is shrinking due to the war and demographic crisis, so all sectors of the economy are short of workers. Migrant workers could be a solution, but they still need to be attracted to come to the country.
Where in Ukraine is there the greatest shortage of workers?
Ukraine will have to compete for migrant workers and the return of its citizens, but it will not be able to fully cover the need for hundreds of thousands of workers even after the war ends. This was stated by labor market expert Vasyl Voskoboynyk in a commentary for Channel 24.
The outflow of people abroad and the excess of mortality over birth rate leads to a decrease in the population of Ukraine.
Vasyl Voskoboynyk, Head of the Migration Policy Office, President of the All-Ukrainian Association of Companies for International Employment
We have a shortage of people in all sectors of the economy. The education system lacks teachers, healthcare – doctors and nurses, the military – engineers. There is a shortage of people in the construction industry and agriculture. Every sector of Ukraine’s economy needs workers. Last year, 75% of Ukrainian businesses said they had problems recruiting staff and filling existing vacancies.
Note! Every year, Ukraine’s population is shrinking by 250-300 thousand people. According to the Ministry of Justice, in the first half of 2025, 249 thousand 2 deaths were registered, while births were almost three times less – 86 thousand 795. For the whole of 2024, 495 thousand 90 people died in Ukraine, and 176 thousand 679 were born.
According to estimates by the International Labor Organization, an additional 8.7 million workers will be needed in the labor market to restore Ukraine.
Will Ukraine be able to attract enough labor migrants to meet the needs of the economy?
Expert Vasyl Voskoboynyk says that every sector of the Ukrainian economy suffers from a shortage of workers, but it will not be possible to fill it completely. About 70% of the almost 7 million Ukrainians who left abroad because of the war will not return, and attracting foreign workers is complicated by the low level of salaries.
Even in the foreseeable future of 5-7 years, it seems unlikely to me that the number of labor migrants attracted to Ukraine will exceed hundreds of thousands of people per year. Will anyone volunteer to come to us for pittance? No, this will not happen. Foreigners will have to pay wages that are serious enough so that they do not choose Poland, the Czech Republic or Germany instead of Ukraine,
says the expert.
According to Vasyl Voskoboynyk, the construction industry of Ukraine will be able to accept the largest number of potential workers. However, in order to attract them, transparent and clear employment conditions must be created.
Purely mathematically, if 300 thousand people die in our country, we need to attract 300 thousand migrants per year. But this is impossible, because people will still look for higher wages, less bureaucracy in employment and more opportunities to move their families over time. First of all, we will need “blue collar” workers: ordinary builders, bricklayers, concrete workers, locksmiths, plumbers, welders, all people of working professions,
– says the expert.
Ukraine will not offer foreigners social protection at the level of Western countries, but legal work with a fair salary – it can. Analyzing the experience of other countries, expert Vasyl Voskoboynyk identified key points for attracting migrant workers, which the state must ensure:
identification of industries that require more workers and countries from which workers can be invited;
control over the working conditions and living conditions of workers to prevent human rights violations;
clear and strict conditions for deportation in case of violation of Ukrainian legislation.
What do the authorities say about the prospects for attracting labor migrants?
The head of the Finance Committee of the Verkhovna Rada, Danylo Hetmantsev, spoke out against solving the employment crisis in Ukraine by attracting foreigners. The deputy said that the integration of labor migrants into Ukrainian society would be difficult due to language, legal and cultural barriers. Instead, preference should be given to the return of Ukrainians who have left for Europe. The key issues here will be housing and work.
