In Ukraine, 4,621 enforcement proceedings were initiated between January and August 2026 to collect unpaid wages, which is 16% fewer than during the same period last year, when 5,470 such proceedings were registered, according to data from the Unified Register of Debtors, as analyzed by OpenDataBot.
Despite the decline in the number of new cases, the total volume of unresolved wage arrears remains significant. As of September, the Unified Register of Debtors listed 35,922 active cases related to unpaid wages.
Some of these debts have remained unresolved for many years. In particular, 1,957 active cases were opened as far back as 2017 and have still not been closed.
New cases were filed against 311 companies between January and August 2026. Of these, 144—or about 46%—are private enterprises, 117 are state-owned, and another 50 belong to local communities.
Thus, state-owned and municipal companies together account for more than half of the enterprises against which new enforcement proceedings regarding wage arrears were initiated this year.
OpenDataBot compiles statistics based on the Unified Register of Debtors, into which enforcement proceedings are entered after the relevant decisions on debt collection are issued.
Source: OpenDataBot, data for January–August 2026.
Large chemical companies were among those with the highest number of new enforcement proceedings related to wage arrears in Ukraine from January through August 2026, according to Experts.news.
According to OpenDataBot, 245 new enforcement proceedings have been opened against Sumykhimprom since the beginning of the year, and all of them remain active as of September.
A total of 213 enforcement proceedings have been registered against the Odesa Port Plant (OPP), of which 212 remain active.
Another 205 enforcement proceedings have been opened against “Karpatnaftohim,” and 191 against “Dniproazot.” All of these proceedings remained active as of the time the statistics were compiled.
At the same time, formally, the largest number of new proceedings over the eight-month period was registered against “Teplokomunenergo of the Oleksandriya City Council”—1,008—but all of them have already been closed.
“Svitlovodskbyt” ranked second in terms of the number of new cases—398 proceedings, of which only 11 remain active.
The statistics indicate a significant concentration of wage arrears in the chemical industry. In total, enterprises engaged in the production of chemical products accounted for 989 new enforcement proceedings in January–August, or 21% of the total number in Ukraine.
In total, over the first eight months of 2026, 4,621 new enforcement proceedings were initiated in the country to collect wage arrears.
Source: OpenDataBot, Unified Register of Debtors.
More than half of the new enforcement proceedings regarding wage arrears in Ukraine during the first eight months of 2026 were concentrated in just two sectors—electricity and gas supply, and chemical production.
According to OpenDataBot, 1,545 enforcement proceedings were initiated against companies in the electricity and gas supply sector from January through August, accounting for about one-third of all new cases involving wage arrears.
Another 989 proceedings, or 21%, were initiated against chemical manufacturers.
Thus, these two sectors together accounted for about 55% of all new enforcement proceedings related to wage arrears in the country.
The next sector by number of proceedings was the manufacture of other transportation equipment, with 263 cases. Machinery manufacturing companies accounted for 235 proceedings, and electrical equipment manufacturers for 191.
In total, 4,621 new enforcement proceedings regarding wage arrears were registered in Ukraine from January through August 2026, which is 16% fewer than a year earlier.
The high concentration of debt in the energy and chemical industries is linked, in particular, to the presence in these sectors of large enterprises with complex financial situations and significant accumulated debt to employees.
In particular, among the companies with a large number of new enforcement proceedings in 2026 are Sumykhimprom, the Odesa Port Plant, Karpatnaftochim, and Dniproazot.
Source: OpenDataBot, Unified Register of Debtors.
The largest share of cash expenditures from Ukraine’s general fund budget for January-October 2025 was spent on wages and benefits, amounting to UAH 1.26 trillion, according to the Ministry of Finance.
According to the Ministry of Finance, in October, UAH 133.1 billion was allocated to wages and accruals, which is 39.9% of the total expenditures of the general fund for the month. Compared to the same period in 2024, labor costs increased by UAH 220.7 billion, or 21.2%, over ten months, including UAH 19.9 billion, or 17.6%, in October.
Expenditures on goods and services for January-October 2025 amounted to UAH 458 billion, including UAH 60.7 billion in October, or 14.5% of the total. In the first ten months of 2024, these expenditures amounted to UAH 416.9 billion, including UAH 53 billion in October, which indicates a significant increase in purchases of goods and services for the budget sector.
In January-October, UAH 524.4 billion, or 16.6% of all general fund expenditures, was allocated to social security—the payment of pensions, benefits, and scholarships. This is UAH 58.4 billion, or 12.5% more than in the same period last year. At the same time, in October 2025, social expenditures were lower than a year earlier—UAH 49.4 billion versus UAH 54.2 billion.
Expenditures on subsidies and current transfers to enterprises, institutions, and organizations for ten months amounted to UAH 384.4 billion, or 12.1% of the total, including UAH 37.3 billion in October. Compared to January-October 2024, these expenditures increased by UAH 117.9 billion, or 44.2%, reflecting the expansion of support for certain sectors of the economy and critical infrastructure.
Servicing the national debt cost the general fund of the state budget UAH 279.9 billion, or 8.8% of all expenditures, in the first ten months of 2025. In October, UAH 33.6 billion was allocated for these purposes. This is UAH 36.3 billion more than in the same period last year, which is due to both an increase in the volume of debt and a change in borrowing conditions.
Finally, UAH 156.3 billion, or 4.9% of general fund expenditures for January-October, was used for transfers to local budgets, including UAH 16.9 billion in October. Compared to the first ten months of 2024, these expenditures increased by UAH 9.3 billion, or 6.3%.
Eurostat has published data on minimum wages in EU countries, which show significant differences: from €551 in Bulgaria to €2,704 in Luxembourg.
According to the report, the minimum wage is officially established in only 22 of the 27 EU countries. In Denmark, Italy, Finland, and Sweden, there is no legislative regulation of the minimum wage.
Countries with the highest minimum wage (in euros, August 2025):
Luxembourg — €2,704
Ireland — over 2,000
Netherlands — over 2,000
Germany — over 2,000
Belgium — over 2,000
Medium level (from 1,000 to 1,500 euros):
– France, Slovenia, Spain, Poland, Lithuania, Estonia, Czech Republic, Portugal, Croatia, Slovakia, Greece.
Low level (from €600 to €900):
– Hungary, Latvia, Romania.
Minimum in the EU:
– Bulgaria – €551.
Experts note that such significant differences reflect both the level of economic development of countries and their social policies. High minimum wages are characteristic of Western European countries, while in Eastern Europe, base rates remain several times lower.
Starting April 1, 2024, according to the Law “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2024”, the minimum wage in Ukraine will increase to UAH 8 thousand. This will change the amount of certain employment-related payments, the amount of which is aligned with the minimum wage.
In particular, the maximum amount of compensation to employers will increase.
Thus, the amount of compensation for the employment of citizens who have been registered as unemployed for more than 1 month (people with disabilities, combatants and those who have no more than 5 years left before the right to an old-age pension) will now amount to UAH 8 thousand (1 minimum wage).
Compensation for the employment of young people among the registered unemployed (under 25 years of age – with less than 12 months of insurance experience; under 35 years of age – for the first job; discharged from military / alternative service – for the first job) will increase to UAH 4 thousand (50 percent of the minimum wage).
The compensation for employment of citizens who have been registered as unemployed for more than 1 month and have additional employment guarantees or have been registered for more than 6 months will increase to UAH 3,520 (double the minimum insurance premium, which is 22 percent of the minimum wage).
Compensation for the employment of internally displaced persons during martial law will amount to UAH 8 thousand (1 minimum wage) starting from April 1, 2024. At the same time, the compensation of employer’s expenses for labor remuneration of IDPs hired by the employment centers will increase to UAH 16 thousand (2 minimum wages).
The amount of partial unemployment benefits per employee or individual entrepreneur will also increase to UAH 4 thousand (50% of the minimum wage).
The maximum amount of remuneration for participation in public works will also increase and from April 1 will amount to UAH 12 thousand per month (1.5 times the minimum wage).
For reference: Since the beginning of 2024, 295 employers in the capital have used the compensation programs of the Kyiv SLC and received payments in the amount of over UAH 7 million.
compensation to employers, LAW, minimum wage, State Budget of Ukraine, WAGES
