The shortage of personnel in Ukraine will last for another 3–5 years: which professions are most in demand

Ukrainian business will continue to experience an acute shortage of qualified workers for at least the next three to five years. The greatest shortage is observed in manufacturing, construction, logistics and technical specialties. At the same time, mobilization, population migration and demographic changes are forcing companies to review their personnel policies and more actively implement automation.

What workers are most lacking in Ukraine

According to the expert, the shortage of personnel has become one of the main challenges for Ukrainian business. Companies are increasingly facing difficulties not only in finding new employees, but also in the process of retaining experienced specialists.

The greatest shortage of personnel is observed in the following areas:

Engineering and technical specialties.

Industrial production.

Construction.

Logistics and transport.
Labor professions that require special qualifications.

The main reasons for the personnel shortage remain mobilization, the departure of Ukrainians abroad, internal migration, and the mismatch of candidates’ professional skills with the needs of employers.

The expert predicts that even after the stabilization of the security situation, the labor market will recover gradually.

Mobilization affects the work of most companies

According to the data of the European Business Association provided in the material, 91% of the surveyed companies have employees who are undergoing military service.

At the same time, almost half of the enterprises reported that mobilized employees make up up to 10% of their staff. Another 44% of the companies noted that the share of mobilized employees exceeds 10% of the staff.

Because of this, employers are forced to form a personnel reserve, train employees to perform additional functions, and change the organization of work processes.

For enterprises that have the status of critical to the economy or defense capability of the state, the legislation provides for the possibility of reserving military-liable employees according to established rules.

Business attracts women, older people and introduces AI

Due to the shortage of personnel, Ukrainian companies are starting to more actively attract workers who were previously underrepresented in certain professions.

In particular, employers are expanding employment opportunities for women and older people, and also offer remote work formats.

Automation of production processes and the use of artificial intelligence play a separate role.

Such solutions allow to partially compensate for the shortage of workers, optimize work processes and reduce the workload on personnel.

At the same time, the expert emphasizes that the level of wages is no longer the only factor that determines the attractiveness of an employer.

What is changing for employees

In conditions of war, Ukrainians are increasingly paying attention to the stability of the company, workplace safety and social guarantees.

For employers, the organization of safe working conditions, access to shelters, the possibility of remote work and proper response to air raid alarms remain important.

In addition, companies must comply with the requirements of labor legislation regarding the registration of employees, remuneration and protection of certain categories of citizens.

In particular, additional labor guarantees are provided for pregnant women, parents of young children and people with disabilities.

When the situation on the labor market may improve

According to the forecast of Sergey Popov, the personnel shortage will remain a significant problem for the Ukrainian economy over the next three to five years.

Even after the activation of investments and the beginning of a large-scale economic recovery, the return of Ukrainians from abroad may occur more slowly than the demand for workers will grow.

Therefore, businesses are recommended to invest now in personnel training, the formation of a personnel reserve and long-term planning of needs for specialists.