Ukrainian agribusiness is testing foreign labor as one response to staff shortages, but the first experience shows that the model is more complex than simply bringing workers into the country. MHP began systematically studying foreign recruitment in 2024, while the first employees arrived in Ukraine at the end of 2025.
The company says the issue started as a gray zone: unpopular, insufficiently regulated and without clear Ukrainian best practices. MHP built its process from scratch, studying experience from other countries and from its own international assets.
Adaptation became the key lesson
The first pilot was difficult. Seven foreign workers arrived in Ukraine, but after the first night shelling, part of the group left the workplace without warning and stopped communicating. The company informed the employment center and migration service. The workers were later found, but permits were canceled for the whole pilot group.
For MHP, the case showed that foreign workers need a separate adaptation process. Air alerts, blackouts and life under wartime conditions may be routine for Ukrainians, but they can be a major shock for people arriving from other countries.
Cultural differences also matter. The company now holds adaptation meetings not only for new workers, but also for the Ukrainian teams that will work beside them. This helps reduce misunderstandings and makes integration more realistic.
MHP is now running a second pilot with seven foreign workers and says productivity and discipline are at a proper level. The improvement became possible because the company adjusted the process after the first attempt.
Even in an optimistic scenario, the minimum time from business request to worker arrival is about six months because of visas, checks, logistics and coordination between countries. For now, foreign labor is a targeted solution rather than a quick systemic answer to Ukraine’s agricultural staff deficit.
