About 56% of Ukrainian employers in 2026 plan to increase salaries for employees by an average of 10–20%. This is evidenced by the results of the third national labor market study, which covered 61 thousand enterprises with a total of 4.4 million employees. This is reported by the Government Portal.
The study was presented by the Director of the State Employment Service, Yulia Zhovtyak. The survey was conducted jointly with the Federation of Employers of Ukraine and the international partner Helvetas Ukraine. The obtained data serves as a basis for forming state policy in the field of employment and education in wartime conditions.
Salary increases in 2026: employers' plans
According to Zhovtyak, despite the war, shelling, and energy risks, businesses are showing cautious stabilization. In 2025, 67% of companies continued to hire staff, and salary became a key tool for competing for talent.
If in 2024 only 35% of employers planned to raise wages, in fact, it was increased by 45%. In 2026, 56% of companies announced their intention to raise salaries.
Labor market in 2026: key trends
Among the leading regions for employment are Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Kyiv regions, and Kyiv. The most job vacancies are offered in:
manufacturing;
trade;
health care;
education;
agriculture.
An individual trend has become inclusivity. More than 90% of employers are ready to hire veterans, internally displaced persons, people with disabilities, workers aged 60+, and youth without experience. Also, more than half of businesses invest in employee training and social programs.
The level of trust in the State Employment Service is growing: 72% of employers constantly use its services, and the number of partner enterprises has exceeded 120 thousand.
Recall that since the beginning of the year, the State Employment Service has offered 400 thousand vacancies to unemployed Ukrainians across almost four thousand professions, with uneven demand distribution.