Human resource shortage in Ukraine: does the country need foreign workers and how to protect Ukrainians

In Ukraine, a discussion is ongoing regarding the possible involvement of foreign labor amid an acute shortage of personnel caused by a full-scale war and demographic changes. At the same time, the Verkhovna Rada emphasizes that the priority should remain the employment of Ukrainians, and the involvement of foreigners is possible only where domestic resources are insufficient.

This was reported by Galyna Tretyakova, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Social Policy and Protection of Veterans’ Rights, during parliamentary hearings on the topic “Ukraine’s Employment Market Under Pressure: Involvement of Foreign Labor, Protection of Ukrainian Workers, and State Control over Migration Processes.”

Fewer Foreigners Officially Working, but Certain Industries Need Workers

According to Tretyakova, in 2025, 4,720 foreigners were officially employed in Ukraine, while in 2020 there were 9,880 of them.

Despite the overall reduction, the number of foreign workers in certain areas has increased. These include:

processing industry;
the temporary accommodation and catering sector;
healthcare and social assistance;
administrative services.

The hearings also discussed simplifying procedures for employing foreigners, including the introduction of the “single window” principle for document processing.

Ukraine lacks doctors, builders and drivers

The participants in the hearings emphasized that the country is already experiencing an acute shortage of personnel. The most lacking are:

doctors;
teachers;
engineers;
builders;
municipal workers;
public transport drivers.

At the same time, business proposes to primarily employ Ukrainians, and to attract foreign workers only when vacancies cannot be filled with internal resources.

Return of Ukrainians should be a priority

During the discussion, it was repeatedly emphasized that the personnel crisis must be overcome primarily through the return of Ukrainians from abroad, retraining of the unemployed, as well as creating conditions for employment of veterans, internally displaced persons, youth and the elderly.

The participants of the hearings paid special attention to the need to guarantee equal labor rights for all workers and prevent the use of cheap foreign labor as a tool to reduce the salaries of Ukrainians.

Vacancies are increasing, but employees are decreasing

Statistics indicate a deepening personnel crisis. During the full-scale war, the number of employees at micro-enterprises decreased by 137 thousand people, and among individual entrepreneurs – by another 194 thousand.

At the same time, the number of vacancies in the database of the State Employment Service has increased by almost 50% over the past two years.

The average salary is also growing: if in 2025 it was 25,946 UAH, then in the first quarter of 2026 it will be 28,885 UAH. At the same time, the gap between industries remains significant: in IT the average salary exceeds 66 thousand UAH, while in education it is only 16,110 UAH.

Attracting foreigners requires clear rules

The participants in the hearings concluded that the issue of labor migration should be resolved based on the real needs of the economy, with transparent rules and effective state control.

It was also emphasized that Ukraine needs to update demographic data, because the last all-Ukrainian census was conducted back in 2001. Without up-to-date information on the population and labor potential, it is difficult for the state to form an effective employment policy.

Representatives of the International Organization for Migration also warned that insufficient control over labor migration could lead to the exploitation of workers, violations of labor rights, and even risks of human trafficking.