Post-war recovery: Ukraine needs to attract 4.5 million workers over a decade, says Economy Ministry
To ensure a successful post-war recovery, Ukraine needs to attract an additional 4.5 million workers to the labor market over the next ten years. This forecast was made during a seminar of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine, which was organized jointly with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the International Labor Organization (ILO).
Ukraine was already in a difficult position, facing a labor shortage before the full-scale invasion. However, as more than 6 million Ukrainians were forced to go abroad, the labor force situation in the country became critical. This was stated by representatives of the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine during a discussion of the challenges that have arisen in the new realities.
“The recovery of the labor market is not a consequence of the victory, it is the way to victory,” said Deputy Minister of Economy of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna, emphasizing the need to make every effort to restore the country’s economy.
The seminar was a follow-up to the Ukraine Recovery Conference held in London last month, organized by the governments of Ukraine and the United Kingdom. Representatives of the Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Infrastructure, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Education, State Employment Service and State Migration Service, Presidential Office, Ministry of Digital Transformation, Ministry of Culture and State Border Guard Service took part in the discussion.
IOM and ILO expressed their readiness to support Ukraine in the process of labor market recovery in order to achieve the country’s key priorities. “We look forward to working closely together to help the state on its path to recovery and to shape a more promising future for Ukraine and its people,” – said IOM Chief of Mission Anh Nguyen in his opening remarks.
“It is time to lay the foundations for a renewed labor market that will make the best use of the knowledge, skills and abilities of our people and offer them new economic opportunities, decent work and social protection,” emphasized ILO National Coordinator Serhiy Savchuk.
