Ukraine has launched a unified electronic labor market system called “Obriy” — a government-built digital platform that should make employment services data-driven, reduce paperwork and connect jobseekers with employers’ real needs.
What the system changes
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Single digital route. A person will be able to register unemployment, apply for benefits, confirm dismissal from temporarily occupied territories, get a training grant and update qualifications in one ecosystem — without going through multiple institutions.
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Automatic checks. “Obriy” will verify data across state registers (Pension Fund, State Employment Service and others), which reduces fraud and accelerates decisions.
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Service via Diia. Application and further support will be available through the state’s digital services — the idea is that the state “accompanies” a person from job loss to re-employment.
Why the reform is needed
The Ministry of Economy notes that a large share of Ukrainians work informally or remain economically inactive, so the state does not see their skills and cannot offer relevant training or vacancies. Employment centers often act “blindly” because:
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business processes are outdated,
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services are fragmented,
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there is no real-time labor market analytics,
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training programs are not synchronized with employer demand.
“Obriy” is meant to solve exactly this gap — to make employment policy evidence-based, not declarative.
Focus on employers’ needs
A key innovation is that retraining programs will be tied to specific vacancies. The government plans to:
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introduce modern directories of professions and skills aligned with EU practice,
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involve businesses and training centers in selection and upskilling,
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give the state real-time labor market data to forecast shortages.
This is important for investors and employers: the state is moving from passive unemployment benefits to active labor market policy, where public money funds exactly the skills the economy needs.
Integration with reconstruction agenda
Ukraine is rebuilding infrastructure, industry and services — all of this requires labor. By digitizing employment now, the government wants to:
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return people to the formal economy;
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supply staff to businesses that are relaunching or relocating;
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reduce the cost and time of hiring.
Minister Oleksiy Sobolev directly framed the goal: to bring people back into the economy and ensure businesses have personnel.
Technical and donor support
The system’s technical requirements were prepared with the support of the UK-funded “Digitalization for Growth, Integrity and Transparency (UK DIGIT)” project (implemented by the Eurasia Foundation, with BRDO as the executive partner). That alignment with European practices also matters for future integration of labor statistics with the EU.
What it means for business
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easier verification of candidates;
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clearer picture of skills available in regions;
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the state will partly finance retraining for scarce professions;
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more people will move from shadow employment into the formal segment.
In short, “Obriy” turns the labor market from a paper-based, reactive system into a digital matching platform — which is exactly what Ukraine needs while competing for labor during the war.
