Almost all member companies of the European Business Association (EBA) complain about a shortage of personnel: 74% consider this problem to be significant, 21% report a partial shortage, and only 5% did not experience a shortage of personnel in 2025, according to a study of the Ukrainian labor market by the EBA.
“It is most difficult to fill vacancies for workers and technical specialists due to staff turnover and low motivation to work offline. There is also an acute shortage of narrow-profile specialists with knowledge of English, who are needed by international companies,” according to the results of the study published by the association’s press service.
It is emphasized that, in addition to them, it is difficult to find sales managers and middle managers, as their work requires constant presence, and booking opportunities are limited.
In addition, 46% of companies noted that the departure of young professionals aged 18-22 had a definite or significant impact on their activities. 42% did not feel any impact, while 12% noted that they did not yet have enough data to assess the situation.
In addition to the labor shortage, key trends in the labor market include inflated salary expectations on the part of candidates, the impact of mobilization, difficulties in booking workers, and staff turnover.
Among the companies surveyed, 46% noted that all employees are currently working from within Ukraine, compared to 35% of companies last year. At the same time, 47% have up to 10% of employees working from abroad, and only 5% of companies have more than 10% of such employees. The rest (approximately 2%) do not have accurate information.
Most employers (63%) do not plan to require employees to return to the office in the near future, 37% are considering this possibility, but 12% of them do not plan to bring back all categories of employees.
As for companies’ plans, most have a clear vision for development in 2026.
“The main focus of business is on increasing salary levels – this is planned by 94% of companies. In particular, 28% of companies anticipate growth in the range of 11-15%, 23% – 5-10%, 10% expect growth of 16-20%, and 6% of companies do not intend to raise salaries in 2026,” according to the EBA.
As for other plans, 36% intend to increase the number of employees next year, 55% do not plan any changes, and 9% plan to reduce their workforce. 17% of companies reported a redistribution of functions towards multifunctionality.
During 2025, most companies (83%) actively recruited new employees. Another 3% opened vacancies exclusively for internal candidates, and only 14% of respondents did not change their headcount.
In addition, 25% are planning to increase their budgets for staff training and development, 18% of respondents are planning to enter new markets and search for partners, 6% may change management or open new regional offices, 5% will reduce training costs in 2026, and 3% are planning to close offices.
The survey was conducted from October 2 to November 1, 2025, with 126 human resources professionals participating (41% department heads, 33% middle managers, 22% top management, and 4% junior staff). Among the respondents, 56% represent large businesses, 32% represent medium-sized businesses, and 12% represent small businesses. 58% of companies are international, and 42% are Ukrainian.
