The Ministry of Economy of Ukraine continues to develop a new Employment Strategy. On May 22, the next meeting of the working group took place, focusing on challenges and opportunities in employment.
The full-scale war has transformed Ukraine’s labour market. A growing number of Ukrainians face difficulties in employment due to health issues, life circumstances, or social vulnerability. This especially affects specific groups, such as:
- war veterans;
- persons with disabilities;
- women;
- older persons;
- internally displaced persons (IDPs);
- Ukrainian migrants;
- labour migrants in Ukraine.
What do the data say?
- According to the Ministry of Veterans Affairs of Ukraine, as of December 2024, almost 900,000 individuals had received the status of combatant, and more than 119,000 were granted disability status due to the war.
- According to the Global Gender Gap Report by the World Economic Forum, Ukraine ranked 63rd in 2024, improving its position compared to 2023 (66th).
- According to the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, about 4.65 million internally displaced persons are registered, 1.9 million of whom are of working age.
- According to estimates by the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), 6.9 million Ukrainian migrants were abroad as of April 2025.
“Ukraine’s economic recovery is impossible without the active participation of veterans, persons with disabilities, women, and young people. The state must ensure equal opportunities for everyone and create conditions where every individual can realise their professional potential. That is exactly why we are working on the new Employment Strategy. One of its key priorities is removing barriers to employment by supporting people through retraining, education, workplace adaptation, and other tools. Advancing inclusivity today is not an option but a necessary condition for sustainable economic growth,” stated Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine.
During the working group meeting, the following barriers to labour market access were discussed:
- lack of recognition of military experience as a professional qualification among veterans, including combatants;
- low employment levels among persons with disabilities and limited accessibility of work environments;
- gender inequality in the labour market, including the gender pay gap and occupational segregation;
- limited mobility and access to housing for internally displaced persons.
According to Olha Rudnieva, CEO of the Superhumans Centre, veterans undergo a complex rehabilitation journey, and employment is a key component of their reintegration. That is why the Centre has built a team of career counsellors who help veterans reframe their military experience and find their place in civilian life, from writing CVs to finding training opportunities and grants.
Olha emphasised that Superhumans have changed the very logic of employment: it is not veterans who seek out employers first, but the other way around. This approach fosters a sense of value and motivation. The next step is to scale the Centre’s model at the national level.
Among the proposed solutions to employment challenges discussed during the meeting were:
- The introduction of career counselling, internship programmes, and the development of professional retraining;
- Encouraging employers to create inclusive work environments and to actively engage individuals facing employment barriers;
- Implementation of retraining mechanisms for veterans during their service;
- Support for integration programmes for IDPs, women, persons with disabilities, and Ukrainians abroad.
Anyone interested is welcome to join future working group discussions by registering at: https://bit.ly/43ajk3o.
More information about the Employment Strategy initiative and materials from public discussions are available at: https://brdo.com.ua/projects/employment-strategy/
The Employment Strategy 2030 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”.