Ukraine’s labor market is sending a mixed signal. The number of resumes is growing much faster than the number of open vacancies, which means more people are looking for work or testing better options, while employers are still careful with expansion plans.
In May 2026, the number of resumes increased by about 28% year over year, while vacancies grew by only around 4%. This gap shows that the labor market is not simply overheated. Demand for employees exists, but companies are choosing more selectively and often postpone hiring until they understand security, energy and sales risks.
Sector dynamics are uneven
Information technology remains one of the strongest sources of new candidate activity, with resumes rising by about 26%. Manufacturing and construction also show growth, supported by defense orders, repair demand and gradual recovery of investment projects. Transport and logistics are more stable, but still depend on border capacity and fuel costs.
At the same time, agriculture, finance and creative sectors show weaker vacancy dynamics. For some companies, the problem is not the absence of demand but the difficulty of planning. Power outages, attacks on infrastructure, credit costs and uncertainty over export routes make employers cautious even when they need people.
Wages continue to adjust
The average offered salary approached 31 thousand hryvnias in May. Nominal pay continues to rise, and real pay also improved after inflation adjustments. But wage growth does not remove the structural mismatch between skills, regions and business needs.
For investors and employers, the message is practical: labor availability is improving in some segments, yet strong hiring still requires resilience planning. Companies with stable energy solutions, transparent payroll, training capacity and flexible work organization will compete better for skilled people than firms relying only on salary increases.
