Human resources crisis in Ukraine: business faces record shortage of workers

The personnel crisis in Ukraine, which has already become a key challenge for business in wartime conditions, is intensifying. According to the latest research by the Institute for Economic Research and Policy Consulting, 67% of enterprises are experiencing a shortage of personnel, the highest figure for the entire period of the full-scale invasion.

Labor market: shortages at all levels

The situation on the labor market is rapidly becoming more complicated. Employers are increasingly reporting difficulties in finding both qualified specialists and workers without special training. The share of companies that have difficulty finding qualified personnel has increased to 61.4%, while the shortage of unskilled labor is also showing steady growth.

Despite this, business is not slowing down: 16.6% of enterprises plan to expand their staff, while the number of companies preparing for layoffs, on the contrary, is decreasing. This indicates that business activity is maintained even in conditions of a systemic shortage of personnel.

Inflation displaces other risks

The second place among the key problems was taken by the increase in the price of raw materials and supplies. Inflationary pressure continues to affect the cost of production and the financial stability of enterprises.

At the same time, the security factor, although it remains important, is gradually losing its dominant role. The level of concern about physical risks (shelling, threats to personnel) decreased to 42%, although the situation remains critical in front-line regions.

The energy situation is stabilizing

A positive trend is the reduction in the impact of energy outages. Thanks to seasonal factors and business adaptation, the share of companies complaining about power outages decreased to 30%.

Most enterprises were able to ensure uninterrupted work even in difficult periods, and the loss of working time due to blackouts decreased to 6%. This indicates a gradual adaptation of the economy to energy challenges.

Business and the state: restrained optimism

The assessment of the state’s economic policy remains ambiguous. Only 6% of entrepreneurs positively assess the actions of the authorities, while the majority adhere to a neutral position. Negative assessments remain at the level of 25%, which, however, is a slight improvement compared to the beginning of the year.

At the same time, corruption and administrative pressure play a much smaller role in the list of business problems – they are noted only by individual companies.

Macroeconomic challenge: a shortage of millions of workers

According to estimates by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, Ukraine lacks about 4.5 million workers to ensure sustainable economic growth. At the same time, a significant part of the population remains economically inactive for objective reasons.

As the National Bank of Ukraine notes, the personnel shortage is already leading to increased competition between employers and an increase in real wages, which in some sectors have exceeded the pre-war level.