The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine is developing the Employment Strategy. Its goal is to support economic growth by reducing unemployment, ensuring equal access to quality jobs, and enhancing labour market flexibility. The first working meeting, which took place as public consultations on May 1, collected proposals that will serve as an analytical foundation for the Strategy.
Ukraine’s labour market is facing significant challenges, from structural changes in the economy and demographic decline to mass migration caused by the war and the impact of technological shifts.
- According to the National Bank of Ukraine, the unemployment rate is expected to reach 10.9% in 2025.
- Following the State Employment Service, in 2024, 389 thousand people were officially registered as unemployed, although the actual number is considerably higher.
This situation requires comprehensive solutions to help people find decent jobs and restore stability to the labour market.
“Restoring the labour market is one of the government’s key priorities. We see significant potential among veterans, women, youth, and people with disabilities who must be actively included in the labour market. That’s why we’ve launched the development of an employment strategy that not only aims to update the legal framework, but also to reduce unemployment, tackle informal employment, and strengthen social protection,” commented Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.
The upcoming Employment Strategy will focus on:
- Job creation: support for SMEs, attracting investment, and fostering social entrepreneurship.
- Professional reorientation: upskilling opportunities in line with labour market needs.
- Inclusivity: flexible and remote work options for youth, women, veterans, and people with disabilities.
- Employment service reform: digitalization of public services, modernization of the Labour Code, and transparent engagement with employers.
The Employment Strategy project is funded by the German government and implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH within the “REYOIN – Promotion of Socio-Economic Integration of Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Host Communities in Ukraine” project.
“Systematic and long-term support for the development of Ukraine’s economy is a key part of our cooperation. The Employment Strategy supports post-war recovery and creates conditions for broad engagement of Ukrainians in the labour market in line with EU standards,” said Jens Adam, Director Sustainable Economic Development, GIZ Ukraine.
The strategy will be developed through several parallel stages:
- In-depth labour market research;
- Open consultations with all stakeholders;
- Concept design and drafting of the strategy text;
- Finalization of the Employment Strategy.
“Productivity grows where people can realize their potential. We’ve already contributed to policy development in the defense, innovation, and SMEs sectors. But without an effective labour policy, these efforts won’t succeed. This is an issue we must address – together,” added Oleksii Dorohan, CEO of the Better Regulation Delivery Office.
Next steps:
- May-June 2025: Six working group meetings with government, business, expert community, international partners, and civil society representatives.
- June 2025: Presentation of labour market research findings and the draft Strategy concept.
- Autumn 2025: Finalization and publication of the National Employment Strategy.
All interested parties are welcome to join the upcoming working group discussions by registering here: https://forms.gle/xPkdhHWVQ9djGewBA
Project page: https://brdo.com.ua/en/projects/employment-strategy/
The Employment Strategy project is being developed by the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine with support from the German Government through the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, and the Better Regulation Delivery Office (BRDO), under the project “REYOIN – Promotion of Socio-Economic Integration of Returnees, Internally Displaced Persons, and Host Communities in Ukraine.”