The main problem hasn't gone away: the NBU explained the situation in the labor market

The labor market in Ukraine has begun to feel new changes amid worsening business activity. Enterprises have become more cautious about hiring and opening new vacancies, while the problem of a labor shortage has not disappeared.

Businesses have become more cautious about hiring workers.

Russian strikes, which have become more frequent in recent months, have affected Ukraine's labor market – demand for workers has decreased. This was stated by Deputy Governor of the NBU Volodymyr Lepushynskyi, reported by Interfax-Ukraine.

According to him, enterprises facing damage or destruction of production and warehouse capacities, disruptions in logistics, and high uncertainty are not rushing to expand their staff.

This directly affects the number of new vacancies. Companies are more careful in assessing the need for additional workers and the possibility of expanding operations. According to the August survey of enterprises, expectations regarding staff numbers vary significantly across sectors:

the construction sector was counting on an increase in the number of employees;

industry anticipated a reduction in personnel numbers;

retail companies also forecast a decrease in the number of workers;

the service sector expected a decline, though the most pessimistic forecasts were in the industrial sector.

Labor shortages have not disappeared.

Despite the decreased demand for new employees, businesses continue to face a staffing shortage. One of the main constraints on operations is the lack of qualified professionals.

Therefore, the labor market well illustrates the overall state of the economy. Businesses have become more cautious about hiring due to heightened security risks, but the competition for available workers has not disappeared. For many firms, the production constraint is not so much a lack of demand for their product as a physical shortage of people who can make it,

– Lepushynskyi noted.

Thus, a decrease in the number of vacancies does not mean that the problem of the labor deficit for Ukrainian business has disappeared. Firms are forced to contain expansion while competing for workers who are already in short supply.

By the way, the Ukrainian labor market may undergo significant changes in the coming years: demand for professions will be affected not only by technology but also by the labor shortage and war.

To assess which specialties will be in demand in 3 – 5 years, one can look at how daily work has changed over the last decade. In particular, areas that are harder to automate are those requiring physical presence, manual labor, or constant interaction with the real environment: food delivery, construction services, work in the agricultural sector.