Before the full-scale war, the State Employment Service served around one million citizens annually, with nearly all of them receiving the status of unemployed. However, this number has significantly decreased now.
Julia Zhovtyak, the director of the service, shared this in an interview with RBK-Ukraine.
Changes in the number of registered unemployed in UkraineThe infographic shows how the number of registered unemployed has changed over the last five years. During the pandemic, the number of officially unemployed increased, while during the war, it reached a record low.According to her, during 2024, the Employment Service registered 400,000 unemployed individuals. There are several reasons for the decline in the official number of unemployed.
The first reason, Zhovtyak explained, is that a large portion of the working-age population has left the country. Refugees can register as unemployed, particularly through the "Dія" portal, but they cannot receive benefits, which makes registration seem pointless to them.
“In my opinion, the main reason for the decrease in the number of registered unemployed is that a significant number of men and women are defending Ukraine. This group of Ukrainians could potentially be our target audience... Another reason is that all conscripted individuals must provide military registration documents when registering with the Employment Service. This approach aligns with the principle of 'Work or Fight!'. This has indeed reduced the number of registered unemployed men. Before the full-scale invasion, the ratio of men to women among the unemployed was traditionally about 50/50; now, 80% are women and 20% are men,” she stated.
The desire of people to register has also been affected by the reduction in unemployment benefits during martial law. Previously, benefits were provided for one year, and for certain groups, up to two years, but now it is limited to three months.
Recall that earlier, "Slovo i Dilo" examined how many Ukrainians received unemployment benefits during crisis years.
At the beginning of the full-scale war, Ukraine was among the top ten countries with the highest unemployment rates.
Subscribe to our Telegram channel to keep track of the most interesting and exclusive news from “Slovo i Dilo”.