The number of job openings in the second quarter of this year rose by 13% compared to the first quarter, while the number of resumes increased by 75% compared to the same period in 2025, according to the first analytical report from the interactive quarterly analytics tool of the job search platform robota.ua.
According to this data, the Kyiv region had the most job openings in Q2 2026 (136,700, or 40.6% of the total). There is also active demand for workers in Lviv (26,800, or 8%), Dnipropetrovsk (25,800, or 7.6%), Odesa (19,300, or 5.7%), and Kharkiv regions (17,600, or 5.2%).
Since the beginning of the year, the number of job openings has been gradually increasing after a decline in November–December 2025 to 92,400. Specifically, in January 2026 there were 101,200 job openings, in February—105,800, in March—110,500, in April—113,200; in May, the trend slowed, and the market saw nearly as many job openings as the previous month—113,300.
Salary expectations are slightly lower than employers’ offers: in May, the salaries offered by employers amounted to 28,000 UAH, compared to the 25,000 UAH that job seekers were hoping for.
As noted in the platform’s report, the tool’s large-scale sample covers over 337,000 published job openings, 656,000 active job seekers, nearly 1,900 settlements, and over 110 million page views.
In addition to market indicators, the platform’s quarterly report highlights key labor market trends. Salary transparency, in particular, is becoming a key factor: 33% of job seekers do not apply at all to job postings that do not specify a salary, and against the backdrop of the European Pay Transparency Directive, a petition has emerged in Ukraine calling for a mandatory salary field on recruitment platforms.
It is noted that, amid a labor shortage, job reservations in the defense industry have become an important HR benefit offered by 74% of companies (according to a study by the Council of Arms Manufacturers and Core Team). Additionally, according to a study by the Ukrainian Center for Social Reforms, employers are more actively recruiting older candidates: about 65% of companies are willing to consider employees aged 50+, and over 60% are willing to consider employees aged 60+.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky called on leading managers of international companies to create jobs in Ukraine.
“I would very much like, as the President of Ukraine, that your companies consider the possibility of entering and finding their place in the Ukrainian economy. For us, these are, first of all, jobs. You understand that these are big challenges for 12 million people who have lost because of this bloody war of their homes, they left them, lost their jobs, their children lost schools, and Ukraine lost subjects that create a state, who are real citizens, pay taxes, etc.,” Zelensky said, speaking to attendees at the Yale SEO Summit on Wednesday.
“Jobs are very important. The jobs that companies like yours can offer by investing in our economy. This is an important step,” he added.
According to the head of state, it is also important that international companies invest in opening their offices in Ukraine.
“So that you find for yourself those layers of business that you are ready to find: from digitalization to energy. We are ready to talk about everything. But we are not ready to create a minimum tax system. You must understand us: we are talking about the restoration of Ukraine, which means that we should do it on finances. Comfortable conditions – yes, transparent conditions – yes, quick management regarding the start of your business in Ukraine – yes. This is support when all this is beneficial for both you and us,” the president said.
The RDS group of road construction companies is ready to provide 850 jobs to Ukrainians returning from abroad, as well as to all people who have lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic, co-owner of the group Yuriy Shumakher has said.
“Our team has more than 1,200 employees. And we will be glad to welcome about 850 new specialists to work in eight regions of Ukraine, where we build roads and important infrastructure facilities,” he told Interfax-Ukraine.
According to him, the coronavirus not only threatens the health of people, it also robs them of their work, confidence in the future.
“The construction industry is not quarantined! And we want to provide jobs for those who need it most,” he said.
The Ukrainian group of companies RDS includes Kyivshliakhbud and Rostdorstroy. Its core business is construction, modernization and maintenance of roads and bridges, construction of airfield complexes.
The company is building concrete road H-14 Kropyvnytsky-Mykolaiv. As part of the reconstruction of the H-31 Dnipro-Reshetylivka highway in Poltava region, RDS is building an overpass over the railway and the section of the first concrete road in Ukraine. In 2019, the company won a World Bank tender for work on the first category highway M-03 Kyiv-Kharkiv-Dovzhansky.
As of April 2020, the company operates in eight regions of Ukraine and has ten production facilities.
The ultimate beneficial owners of RDS are Ukrainian citizens Yuriy Shumakher and Yevhen Konovalov.
