There are 14 million people of working age left in Ukraine, almost 42,000 are unemployed, and an acute shortage of personnel is pushing up salaries.

After the start of the full-scale war and mass emigration in Ukraine, the working population decreased from 18 to 14 million people, said economist and member of the Economic Discussion Club, Oleg Pendzyn. He said that 6.5 million people work legally and pay taxes, and another three million receive salaries from the state. As of November 1, 41,900 Ukrainians are receiving unemployment benefits in Ukraine.

Notably, in the draft for the 2025 state budget, the Cabinet of Ministers proposes allocating ₴150M to support Ukrainian refugees abroad in their return home.

Meanwhile, the National Bank notes that the personnel shortage in the Ukrainian labor market continues to fuel wage growth. By the end of the year, taking inflation into account, real wages in Ukraine will increase by 14% and exceed pre-war levels. Wages will continue to rise due to significant competition between employers for available labor.