After years in what she described as “boring and inactive” jobs in the offices of several Ukrainian companies, Lilia Shulha, 40, has landed her dream job as a truck driver with the Vozi Group, Ukraine’s largest retailer. “I always dreamed of big cars,” she told Reuters. “Instead of (playing with) dolls, I drove cars when I was a child.”
“Now, it’s open to people, even if they have no experience… I was lucky,” said Sholha, wearing her work uniform in front of a large truck.
As the war with Russia drains the workforce and tens of thousands of men are drafted into the military, companies are trying to cover the acute shortage by hiring more women in traditionally male-dominated roles, and turning to boys, students and older workers.
Ukraine’s central bank data showed the country has lost more than a quarter of its workforce since the war began in February 2022.
According to a survey conducted by the Ukrainian Ministry of Economy of more than 3,000 companies, nearly 60% of companies said that the main challenge they face is finding workers.
“The situation is really critical,” said Tetyana Petrok, chief sustainability officer at steelmaker Metnevest, one of Ukraine’s largest employers with a workforce of about 45,000. It currently has 4,000 vacancies, she said, adding that the staff shortage was having a significant impact on production.
She pointed out that this is the case with all companies across the country, as they face a shortage of employees.
Staff shortage
Reuters spoke to representatives of nine Ukrainian companies, from large industrial firms to retail groups and small entrepreneurs, and all said staff shortages and a growing mismatch in skills were posing major challenges.
Companies said they are changing hiring and business practices, automating and rotating existing employees, adjusting job descriptions, rehiring retirees and offering more benefits, especially to younger workers.
They also had to raise wages. The average monthly wage is now about 20,000 hryvnias ($470) compared to about 14,500 hryvnias ($340) a year ago.
“There is a noticeable shift away from gender and age bias in the selection of candidates, as employers adjust criteria to attract the desired employees,” the Kyiv School of Economics noted. “This trend also extends to entrepreneurship, where the share of female entrepreneurs is growing significantly,” it explained.
Male-dominated industries are being hit hardest by the shortage of workers, the Ukrainian central bank said. Construction, transport, mining and other sectors have suffered because of military mobilization, and are typically staffed by men aged 25 to 60.
In the energy and arms sectors, 100% of employees are entitled to defer conscription. In some other sectors, companies can retain 50% of male employees.
As the government tightened recruitment rules this year, more men are opting for informal work, allowing them to stay off the public data register, according to some companies.
In the southern Mykolaiv region, which has plenty of farmland, women are being trained to become tractor drivers. Companies say women are increasingly working as tram and truck drivers, coal miners, security guards and warehouse workers.
“We offer training and jobs to women with little experience,” said Lyubov Ukrainets, HR manager at Silbo, part of the Fozhi Group.
The company has six female truck drivers, including Sholha, and is more active in recruiting women for other jobs that were previously dominated by men, including loading, meat-cutting, packing, and security guards.
The share of female employees is growing in sectors such as steel production.
Female employees make up about 30-35% of Metnvest’s workforce, and the company is now hiring women for some confidential positions, Petrok said.
Boys and students
Businesses and economists expect the labor market to continue to be challenging. Employers are targeting young people by offering training, job experience and targeted benefits packages.
Metinvest, which previously focused on students, is now increasingly working with vocational schools, Petrok said.
Silbo is more actively recruiting teens for entry-level jobs in supermarkets and has launched a specialized internship program for students.
For its part, Vodafone Mobile has revamped its youth programme, creating opportunities for around 50 teenagers in 12 cities to get their first work experience.
“We want to provide a first proper experience of a formal job for this young audience. Another goal is to build a talent pool,” said Ilona Voloshina from Vodafone Retail.
“We also want to understand young people,” she said at a Vodafone store in Kiev, where visitors consulted with six teenagers working there.
The government and foreign partners have launched numerous programmes to help Ukrainians rehabilitate themselves.
For her part, Deputy Minister of Economy Tatiana Berezna said: “We provide everyone with the opportunity at the state’s expense to obtain a new profession that is in demand in the labor market, or to raise their professional level.”
