War has drained Ukraine’s workforce, but women and veterans are stepping in to fill the void
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A new Helvetas and State Employment Service assessment says Ukraine can ease wartime labor shortages by retraining women and veterans, modernizing workplaces, and recognizing military skills as qualifications.
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Sponsored War has drained Ukraine’s workforce, but women and veterans are stepping in to fill the void March 2, 2026 8:11 pm • 7 min read D by Diana Delyurman The effects of Russia’s full-scale invasion are shrinking Ukraine’s labor pool, with mass mobilization and emigration leaving labor shortages across the economy. Government data shows the scale of the problem: out of more than 23,000 companies struggling to hire, the vast majority cited a physical shortage of personnel as their primary challenge. The shift is even felt at the domestic level via home repair: Ukrainians now wait months for plasterers, bricklayers, or tilers, and wages in these trades have surged, occasionally surpassing those of white-collar middle managers. The shortage is also being compounded by an aging workforce, and key industries are struggling to replace retiring workers, according to a labor-market assessment by Helvetas Swiss Intercooperation and Ukraine’s State Employment Service. Among the problems with hiring new employees, employers also noted the unwillingness of men to formally register for work in order to avoid mobilization and insufficient professional skills. The sector-by-sector report spans 11 industries and draws on a nationwide employer survey conducted in 2025, along with an analysis of 2024 labor-market data. After laying out the scale of the shortages, it shifts to where Ukraine can realistically find more workers: women, older Ukrainians, young people entering the job market, and veterans returning from service. It calls on government agencies, educators, and employers to expand short-term training and retraining and modernize workplaces to raise productivity. Become a member – go ad‑free Furthermore, it also urges measures to bring more of these groups into in-demand jobs, including by expanding opportunities for women in traditionally male-dominated professions and improving pathways for veterans and other vulnerable groups to return to employment. "This massive sam...
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