Hired with No Experience Now for Nearly Every Second Vacancy: How Much They Pay

Ukrainian businesses are increasingly willing to hire people without prior experience and train them on the job. Nearly 46% of vacancies are open to newcomers, and the median salary in such listings has already reached about 29 thousand hryvnias.

This was reported by the chair of the Verkhovna Rada Tax Committee, Danylo Hetmantsev, on Telegram.

According to his data, the staffing shortage is forcing companies to reconsider candidate requirements. While employers used to seek people with a ready skill set, they are now increasingly focusing on the ability to learn quickly.

This particularly opens opportunities for those just entering the labor market. According to Work.ua, 46% of vacancies are available to candidates without experience, and roughly one in four offers is suitable for students.

At the same time, businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to find young workers. In July 2025, responses to vacancies came from 16 712 men aged 18–22, while in July 2026 it was already 13 483.

Thus, their number fell by about 19% over the year. Meanwhile, the total number of candidates on the market, by contrast, increased by 11% over the same period.

The biggest drop in responses from young men occurred in culture and show business — by 41%. In accounting the decline was 30%, and in hospitality, tourism, and retail — by 29% each.

Notable reductions were also recorded in the media, security, beauty and sports, design, service, and HR sectors. As a result, employers have to compete more actively for the candidates who remain.

The problem was also confirmed by a survey of 967 employers. 68% of them said they have felt, to some degree, an increase in worker shortages.

The shortage of staff is most acutely felt in hospitality, construction, the food industry, the auto business, auto service, transport, and logistics.

Against this background, salaries for newcomers are also rising. Over the year the median salary in listings marked “For students” increased from 23 950 to 29 700 UAH.

In “No experience” vacancies the median offer rose from 23 500 to 29 000 UAH. That is about 23% more than a year earlier.

In fact, the gap between pay for newcomers and the average salary offer on the market has become minimal. Because of the staffing shortage, companies increasingly have to pay people without experience almost as much as other employees.

Employers are also paying more attention to veterans, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, and older workers. Some companies are already revising hiring approaches so they are not dependent solely on young candidates.

Hetmantsev believes that the staffing problem cannot be solved simply by finding new people. In his view, Ukraine needs changes in vocational education, retraining, and systems for training employees directly at enterprises.