Job Market 2025: Who's in demand, where the highest salaries are, and how Bangladeshi migrants are set to replace Ukrainians.
The government clarifies that currently, there are 13.3 million people employed in the country, with around one million actively seeking work and ready to start soon. "At the same time, 12.5 million Ukrainians are economically inactive. This group includes students, homemakers, retirees who could still work, women on maternity leave, and people with disabilities. These are the individuals who can be attracted to the labor market by providing them with the opportunity to learn a new relevant profession, retrain, or enhance their professional skills," reported Tatiana Berezhnaya.
Among them, many individuals struggle to find jobs in their specialties due to insufficient skills or education.
7 Who Employers Are Looking For
- Skilled trades: builders, mechanics, electricians, drivers.
- Service sector: sales consultants, cashiers, waiters.
- Security: vacancies for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Demand for specialists in this category remains even during seasonal downturns.
The number of vacancies for accountants has significantly increased, and there is a noticeable shortage of professionals in the medical field.
Dominika Ivanova-Bekar, an HR expert and owner of an HR agency, agrees with the list of the most in-demand specialists and adds to the top list of "evergreen" professions sales consultants and sales managers, while giving priority among skilled trades and technical professions to drivers.
"Additionally, over the last quarter, the number of vacancies for accountants has significantly increased, and there is a shortage of professionals in medicine (nurses, family doctors, specialized doctors)," said Dominika Ivanova-Bekar.
8 Where and How Much Is Being Paid Now
HR expert Dominika Ivanova-Bekar compared various industries. According to her analysis, the IT industry undoubtedly holds the top position for the highest salaries, where the average salary exceeds that of other sectors for both developers and administrative positions.
On average, the salary for a junior (with 1 year of experience) is around 38,000 UAH, Middle — 105,000 UAH, Senior — 190,000 UAH.
The average salary for a junior (with 1 year of experience) is around 38,000 UAH, Middle — 105,000 UAH, Senior — 190,000 UAH.
"There are also relatively high salaries in telecommunications and digital sectors, finance, and pharmaceuticals. In terms of professions, these traditionally include enterprise managers and C-level executives, IT specialists (developers, cybersecurity experts, data scientists, AI, and ML specialists), traders, auditors, and specialized doctors (cardiologists, neurosurgeons, etc.)," she said.
The expert notes that thanks to state funding, support from international financial institutions, and private investments, the salary situation in the defense sector and engineering development — defence-tech and miltech — has significantly improved compared to 2020-2021. Although salaries in this area are slightly lower than in traditional IT, companies currently have a significant advantage, particularly the ability to reserve military conscripts. Therefore, even requirements to stay in Ukraine and work in an office format do not hinder employment.
9 The situation is more challenging in the hardware sector, where there is a pressing need for engineering and design engineering professions, with salaries starting at 120,000 UAH and above.
In other sectors, the situation is much more modest. According to data from the Work.ua portal, in December 2024, the average salary offered by employers was 24,000 UAH (+5% compared to November). This was largely due to vacancies from the Armed Forces.
The highest salary growth was recorded in the following categories:
- "Real Estate" — 50,000 UAH (+14%);
- "Law" — 22,500 UAH (+13%);
- "Human Resource Management, HR" — 27,000 UAH (+8%);
- "Telecommunications and Communication" — 26,920 UAH (+6%);
- "Top Management, Senior Leadership" — 47,500 UAH (+6%).
0 The regional leaders in average salary levels are the following regions of Ukraine:
- Kyiv Oblast — 25,250 UAH (+250 UAH compared to November);
- Lviv Oblast — 24,000 UAH (+1,500 UAH);
- Dnipropetrovsk Oblast — 22,500 UAH (+500 UAH);
- Odesa Oblast — 22,000 UAH (+500 UAH).
Experts note that such financial offers from employers in Ukraine are not the ceiling. The longer the hostilities continue, the more the labor market will experience a shortage of personnel due to internal migration to safer regions, emigration abroad, and mobilization. Therefore, the lack of personnel will intensify across all sectors, leading to heightened competition for talent, forcing businesses to increase wages.
"However, such increases are more of a forced measure to retain their teams and attract personnel. Many companies are on the brink of resource exhaustion, particularly small businesses," added HR expert Dominika Ivanova-Bekar.
Among candidates, remote work continues to gain popularity, which is why such vacancies are filled relatively quickly. However, not all employers are currently willing to offer even a hybrid schedule.
Among the obvious trends are vacancies from companies that provide reservations, which have a significant advantage. Candidates are willing to consider such vacancies even with lower salaries and lower positions.
1 While Ukrainians Seek "Remote Work," Labor Migrants from Bangladesh Will Be Employed
Against this backdrop, the news of bringing in 160 workers from Bangladesh to Transcarpathia, as reported by Miroslav Biletsky, head of the Transcarpathian Regional State Administration, is not surprising. However, concerns and questions remain. Is it really more beneficial for a furniture factory to attract over a hundred labor migrants, transport them across the globe, resolve visa issues, and provide salaries, housing, and food in Ukraine than to employ its own citizens?
"We lack our own labor resources. This is the first and foremost point.
2 If we talk about Bangladesh, let’s first compare the minimum wage in Ukraine and there. Ours is 8,000 UAH. According to current information, in Bangladesh, it is about 72 dollars (3,025 UAH). It is clear that migrants will come not only from Bangladesh but also from Pakistan and India. For our employers, this is cheaper labor than Ukrainians, who are currently in short supply. Transcarpathia is one of the least active regions in terms of labor. Therefore, if an employer can navigate all the legalization aspects for these labor migrants in Ukraine, that would be a good start. However, how easy it will be to do so under our complicated migration policy is hard to say," noted the HR expert.
Due to inflation, salaries in Ukraine have already become uncompetitive for migrants from Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
She adds that due to inflation, salaries in Ukraine have already become uncompetitive for migrants from Turkey, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan.
"Turkish citizens are no longer interested in our salaries. The same goes for Azerbaijanis and Kazakhs. The economic situation there is better, the standard of living is higher, and the minimum wage exceeds that of Ukraine. I don’t think the situation with migrants will become a widespread phenomenon. Not every company can afford such expenses," adds Dominika Ivanova-Bekar.
3 Businesses Face Problems: How to Retain People and the Country's Economy
The most frequently mentioned reason for the labor market crisis is mobilization. This includes not only the so-called "busification" and the outflow of personnel due to concerns about the Territorial Defense Forces: some are indeed resigning to avoid the risk of being mobilized at their official jobs, while others work "from home," or move abroad.
Oleg Pendzin, an expert from the Economic Discussion Club, sees a threatening trend in this.
"Unfortunately, I believe this is a massive problem for businesses. This is a significant issue that will undoubtedly have a powerful impact in the coming years. It is no coincidence that our demographers currently state that to restore the economy, the country needs to bring in 450,000 labor migrants from Southeast Asia and Pakistan. We are experiencing a massive structural unemployment issue," notes the economist.
It is no coincidence that our demographers currently state that to restore the economy, the country needs to bring in 450,000 labor migrants from Southeast Asia and Pakistan. We are experiencing a massive structural unemployment issue.
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