Youth Returns to the Labor Market: Why the Number of Appeals to Employment Services is Increasing

Youth Returns to the Labor Market: Why the Number of Appeals to Employment Services is Increasing

In Ukraine, a change in labor market trends is observed: the number of young people seeking help in job searching has begun to increase after the deterioration of the situation in 2022-2024. According to employment service data, in 2021, 652 thousand persons under the age of 35 sought their assistance. However, in 2022, this figure decreased to 302 thousand, and in 2023 it was only 169 thousand. In 2024, the number of applicants decreased by another 25 thousand.

Despite these negative trends, in 2025, there was an increase in the number of young job seekers by 4 thousand individuals. In that year, 150 thousand young Ukrainians utilized the services of the employment service. Of these:

• 73 thousand found employment successfully,
• over 14 thousand underwent professional training,
• 4 thousand received grants for business.

The maximum cost of a training voucher in 2025 was 30,280 hryvnias.

The average salary of employees in October 2025 reached 26.9 thousand hryvnias, indicating an improvement in the economic situation. The number of vacancies in 2025 returned to pre-war levels, which also contributes to the activation of youth in the labor market.

Employment Service Programs for Youth

The employment service offers various programs for youth, including the grant program 'Own Business' for individuals aged up to 25 years, as well as retraining initiatives in areas such as:

• nursing,
• cooking,
• drivers and tractor operators.

These initiatives contribute to the growing interest of young people in employment and the development of their own business ideas.

The increase in young people's appeals to the employment service indicates a gradual recovery of the labor market in Ukraine after difficult years. Positive indicators in employment and professional training, as well as an increase in the number of vacancies, may indicate stabilization of the economic situation in the country. This, in turn, may stimulate further activity among youth in job searching and the development of their own entrepreneurial projects.