The Employment Strategy is an action plan aimed at helping people in Ukraine find decent jobs and supporting the country’s economic recovery. It focuses on creating new jobs, supporting the unemployed, ensuring equal employment opportunities for all categories of Ukrainians, as well as integrating those returning from abroad and internally displaced persons. This will make Ukraine’s labour market more flexible and modern, contributing to post-war reconstruction.
What is the project about?
The full-scale invasion, demographic changes, and mass migration have impacted the employment sector in Ukraine. Many working-age Ukrainians have either left abroad or become internally displaced persons. This has led to a labour shortage and destabilisation of the labour market. The situation is further complicated by limited resources, a shortage of skilled personnel, and a lack of quality analytics within government bodies. These factors hinder the effective integration of people into the workforce and slow down the country’s economic recovery.
- According to the State Employment Service, nearly 389,000 people were officially registered as unemployed in 2024, although the actual number of unemployed is significantly higher.
- The National Bank of Ukraine forecasts that the unemployment rate will reach 10.9% in 2025.
These challenges require a comprehensive response – solutions that will help people find decent work, stabilise the labour market, and revive the economy.
That is why the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine has initiated the development of a new Employment Strategy. It is intended to become a tool for economic development by reducing unemployment, expanding access to quality jobs for all categories of Ukrainians, and increasing the flexibility of the labour market.
The Strategy will focus on four key areas:
- Creating new jobs;
- Professional retraining;
- Inclusivity in employment;
- Reform of the employment service.
Implementation stages
- In-depth labour market research | March-April, 2025.
- Open consultations with different stakeholders | April-June, 2025.
- Concept design and drafting of the strategy text | June, 2025.
- Finalisation of the Employment Strategy | October-November, 2025.
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».
