Starting from 2026, salaries of social workers will increase by 150%: who will receive it

Increase in Salaries for Social Sector Workers in Ukraine

From January 1, 2026, a decree comes into force in Ukraine that increases the salaries of social and rehabilitation workers by 150% due to a new coefficient of 2.5. This innovation applies to around 80 thousand specialists working in this important field.

New Tariffs and Their Impact

According to the new tariffs, the salary:

• of a social manager (15 tariff grade) will increase from 8,243 UAH to 20,607 UAH;
• of a social work specialist (12 tariff grade) will increase from 6,773 UAH to 16,932 UAH;
• of a junior medical sister (4 tariff grade) will increase from 4,058 UAH to 10,145 UAH.

It is worth noting that the single tariff grid in 2025 was tied to the minimum subsistence level of 3,195 UAH for the 1st tariff grade. Additionally, in 2025, 74% of employers in the social sector experienced a shortage of qualified personnel, highlighting the need to improve working conditions.

Denis Ulyutin, commenting on the changes, noted: 'Increasing the pay of social workers is a step towards fair support for those who support others every day.'

Thus, the new decree will be an important step in ensuring decent working conditions for social workers in Ukraine.

This salary increase may significantly impact the improvement of the staffing situation in the social sector, which is already suffering from a lack of qualified specialists. The increase in social workers' incomes is likely to help reduce the personnel shortage, as improving working conditions is one of the key factors in attracting new specialists to the field. It may also increase the overall level of employee satisfaction and the effectiveness of their work, which is important for the quality of social services provided to the population.