The Ukrainian labor market is changing: employers are increasingly choosing employees 50+

In Ukraine, due to the shortage of personnel, which has intensified as a result of mobilization processes and labor migration, employers are increasingly considering older candidates. This applies not only to employees 50+, but also to people aged 60+, who are gradually becoming an important part of the labor market.

This was reported by the Director of the State Employment Service of Ukraine Yuliia Zhovtiak in a comment to Ukrinform. According to her, structural changes in the labor market are forcing businesses to reconsider their approaches to hiring personnel.

One of the key sources of analytics was a large-scale survey monitoring: 60.9 thousand employers were surveyed in September-October 2025. The results showed that almost 20 thousand companies plan to expand their staff in 2026, and 66.3% of employers are ready to hire employees aged 60+.

The greatest openness to attracting older workers was recorded in Kyiv Oblast, Lviv Oblast, Dnipropetrovsk Oblast and Poltava Oblast. It is these regions that demonstrate the highest readiness of businesses to adapt to the new demographic structure of the workforce.

The greatest demand for workers aged 50+ is currently observed in the industry and manufacturing sector. Companies are actively looking for engineers, technologists, electricians, fitters and machine operators, where experience and technical qualifications are critically important.

The need for specialists in the energy sector and housing and communal services is growing separately, where practical skills and knowledge of complex engineering systems are especially valued. In addition, older workers are involved in education and corporate mentoring, where they pass on their experience to younger specialists.

In agriculture, agronomists, mechanics and middle managers remain in demand, while in medicine there is a stable demand for experienced doctors and pharmacists. It is separately noted that in the areas of administration, logistics, procurement, consulting and project management, it is candidates 50+ who can effectively close personnel gaps.

According to Yulia Zhovtyak, the key advantages of such employees remain professional experience, responsibility and the ability to quickly adapt to changes. At the same time, the State Employment Service recognizes that the problem of age discrimination in the labor market in Ukraine is still relevant.

According to data for 2025, people aged 36–60 accounted for about two-thirds of all employed people in Ukraine. The share of young people under 35 was 19%, while citizens over 60 years old — 14%, which emphasizes the gradual aging of the workforce and the change in its structure.