Ukraine records 13% quarterly increase as labor market expands

Ukraine saw a 13% increase in job vacancies during the second quarter of 2025, according to the first quarterly labor market analysis by employment platform robota.ua. The number of resumes surged 75% year-on-year. Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast led with 136,715 vacancies, making up 40.6% of the total. Other major regions included Lviv Oblast (8%), Dnipropetrovsk Oblast (7.6%), Odesa Oblast (5.7%), and Kharkiv Oblast (5.2%).

The job market had been growing since dipping to 92,373 vacancies in January following a decline in late 2025. Salaries remained below employer offers, with employers offering a median salary of UAH 28,000 in June, while job seekers sought UAH 25,000. Salary transparency is increasingly valued, with 33% of job seekers refusing to apply for vacancies without specified pay.

The EU Pay Transparency Directive and a Ukrainian petition are pushing for mandatory salary information on recruitment platforms. In the defense industry, exemption from military mobilization has become a key benefit, with 74% of defense companies offering this perk. Older workers are also in demand, as about 65% of employers consider candidates aged 50 and older, and over 60% are willing to hire those aged 60 or older.

The Ukrainian government projects an average monthly salary of UAH 34,400 by 2027, with the current average for full-time employees at UAH 31,892 in August 2026, up 23.1% from the previous year but down 1.1% from July.