Employers raise wages more often than employees realize
Over the past year, 30% of companies increased salaries by 11-20%, another 25% increased payments by a maximum of 10%. In 17% of businesses, salaries increased by more than 21%.
At the same time, 23% of employers did not change the level of payment, and 5% even reduced payments.
Among the workers themselves, the picture is much more restrained. Only 22% experienced an increase of up to 10%, 12% saw an increase of 11-20%, and 4% reported an increase in income of more than 21%. More than half of the respondents did not notice an increase in salary at all, another 10% said that it had decreased.
Wages are growing the fastest in regions with the greatest shortage of personnel
Median salaries in Ukraine are growing unevenly. Kirovohrad Oblast showed the greatest dynamics during the year — +29%, up to UAH 22.5 thousand.
In Lviv Oblast, salaries increased by 26% to UAH 33.5 thousand, in Kherson Oblast by 23% to UAH 18.5 thousand. Dnipropetrovsk and Vinnytsia regions each added 22% — to 24.4 thousand and 26.5 thousand UAH, respectively.
The slowest growth was recorded in Chernivtsi region — 7%, Mykolaiv region — 10%, Donetsk and Khmelnytskyi regions — 11% each, and Poltava region — 13%.
Labor professions are already ahead of office professions in terms of pay
The shortage of people with practical skills directly affects wages. Employers are willing to pay more for those who are hard to find and quick to replace.
In June, the highest median salaries among the listed professions were in plasterers — 73.5 thousand hryvnias. Tilers and facade workers received UAH 70,000 each, truck drivers and masons — UAH 65,000 each.
Also, high salaries were offered to levelers — 60,000 hryvnias and construction workers — 50,000 hryvnias.
Tilers became one of the main salary record holders
The median salary of tile workers increased the most during the year — by 47%, up to UAH 70,000. Helpers added 44% and can now count on an average of UAH 32.5 thousand.
Other professions with high dynamics include secretaries (+38%, up to UAH 21,000), HR specialists (+37%, up to UAH 34,300), agronomists (+35%, up to UAH 35,000), copywriters (+29%, up to UAH 24,500), and commodity experts (+29%, up to UAH 26,800).
Simultaneously salaries for certain professions are reduced. They fell by 8% for pickers, 5% for security guards, 4% for housekeepers, and 3% for sales managers.
Why salaries grow unevenly
The main reason is the shortage of workers. Companies have to compete for people, especially for skilled specialists and labor professions.
Close 71% of Ukrainian enterprises call the lack of qualified personnel the main obstacle to business development. That is why employers are forced to raise wages, offer additional incentives and revise working conditions.
At the same time, salary growth is not the same for everyone. It depends on the region, profession, level of shortage of specific specialists and financial capabilities of the company.
Ukrainians are ready to change jobs for higher income
Against the background of such a situation, more and more employees are considering a change of employer. The share of Ukrainians ready to change jobs over the past year has increased from 15% to 38%.
The main reason is money: 84% of those who are ready to change jobs mention the desire to receive a higher income. At the same time, among the main problems when looking for a new job, Ukrainians cite low salaries and a lack of vacancies in their region.
The shortage of personnel remains the main challenge
Despite the individual improvement of the situation, the problem of the lack of workers is not going away. In June, the share of enterprises reporting difficulties in finding qualified personnel decreased from 60.6% to 46.3%, but the indicator remains high.
That is, the Ukrainian labor market is gradually being restructured: employers are forced to pay more where there is a critical shortage of workers, and workers themselves have more opportunities to demand higher pay or change jobs. So far, skilled labor professions will benefit the most from this trend.
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