Kyiv, 7 December 2023 – Today the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) convened a workshop with key government stakeholders, social partners, think tanks, civil society and international development partners and the UN to identify needs and ways forward for the post-war labour market in Ukraine.

Since February 2022, the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine has had devastating impacts on Ukraine’s economy and its people. Ukraine’s economic output has contracted by around a third. It has seen the most significant forced displacement of the population since the Second World War: as of August 2023, nearly 6.2 million Ukrainian forced migrants were recorded globally. The success of the country's economic recovery and post-war reconstruction will require overcoming a significant labour shortage in addition to attracting large-scale investments. 

“Strong human capital is the key to achieving the economic goals set by Ukraine. Increasing the economic activity of the population is one of the most important prerequisites for economic recovery by 7% annually. The report makes a very good point that an increase in the number of women among the economically active population of Ukraine by 24 percentage points by 2030 will help achieve these goals. Therefore, the Ministry of Economy is actively working to expand women's economic opportunities and close the gender pay gap, which stood at 18.6% as of 2021. It is also equally important to increase the level of labour market participation of people with disabilities. Today, only 16% of people with disabilities are employed. It is essential to create all the conditions, and we are also working on this, so that people with disabilities, who number more than 2.7 million in Ukraine, can fully perform their potential and talents. Lifelong learning, acquiring new knowledge and skills, and taking care of workers` mental health to maintain their productivity are also equally vital steps towards building strong human capital, and this survey supports us in this. It is very important that we and our international partners share the same values and think in the same way.”,  said Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine, said Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine. 

The participants of the roundtable discussed policy options to overcome the labour shortage and steps to be taken to achieve the Government's strategic recovery priorities based on the labour force projections prepared by the ILO at the request of the Ukrainian Government.

The ILO study gives a labour market perspective to the 2032 GDP targets of the Government of Ukraine.  

"The post-war reconstruction of the country will require sustained growth in the Ukrainian workforce. According to the ILO’s baseline estimates, if labour productivity levels do not recover beyond the levels achieved before the war, Ukraine would need to attract an additional 8.6 million workers into the labour market over the next ten years to achieve the targets”, said Steven Kapsos, Head, of Data Production and Analysis Unit at the ILO HQ.

“This will be facilitated by a return of Ukrainian forced migrants from abroad, as well as an increase of women’s participation in the labour force. In this regard policies aimed at enhancing employment prospects for women with children, such as affordable childcare and flexible working arrangements, would be needed”, added Daniela Zampini, Sr. Employment Specialist at the ILO Office of Central and Eastern Europe.

“IOM – in partnership with other international partners – is committed to supporting the Government of Ukraine in building up an effective system of labour migration governance that protects migrants’ rights and responds to the actual labour market needs of Ukraine," said Alessia Schiavon, IOM Chief of Mission.

By facilitating cooperation and collaboration among key stakeholders, including IOM and the ILO, the Government of Ukraine is taking a significant step towards building a resilient labour market and achieving sustainable development in the post-war context.  

“We will continue to support Ukraine's efforts to build a productive post-war labour market that offers new economic opportunities, decent work and social protection," said ILO National Coordinator for Ukraine, Sergiy Savchuk. 

Study available – https://bit.ly/3uRqOL1  

For more information, please contact:  

IOM Ukraine - Varvara Zhluktenko, mob: +38 050 962 57 07, email: vzhluktenko@iom.int 

ILO - Kateryna Haiduk, mob: +38 067 338 70 90, email: haiduk@ilo.org