The EasyBusiness team conducted an analytical study on integrating vulnerable groups into the labor market. They also presented a series of recommendations and project concepts to address the labor shortage. These findings were shared during the online event “Overcoming the Labor Shortage: How Vulnerable Groups Can Save Ukraine’s Job Market.”

More than 300 participants attended the event, including representatives of the Ukrainian government, state institutions, local governments, businesses, NGOs, and international partners.

According to the Ministry of Economy, in 2024, Ukraine’s population aged 15 to 70 years is 23 million.

• 15 million people are part of the labor force.
  • 12.3 million are officially employed (9.1 million) or work in the shadow economy (3.2 million).
  • 2.8 million are unemployed (seeking jobs or registered with the State Employment Service).
• 8 million working-age people are outside the labor force (students, pensioners, homemakers).

“Since the beginning of the invasion, the number of people with disabilities in Ukraine has been rapidly growing—already 3 million. Most of them can and want to work. However, in Ukraine, only 13-15% of people with disabilities are employed, while in Europe, this figure is 50%. The integration of people with disabilities into the labor market should be a priority for both the state and businesses. We must also urgently find solutions to facilitate the return and reintegration of forced migrants and improve employment opportunities for internally displaced persons (IDPs),” said Dmytro Lyvch, Executive Director of EasyBusiness.

The study was conducted by EasyBusiness under the project “Assistance in Developing Public Policy for Engaging Vulnerable Groups in the Labor Market,” funded by the Partnership Fund for a Resilient Ukraine (PFRU).
PFRU is funded by the governments of the United Kingdom, Estonia, Canada, the Netherlands, the United States, Finland, Switzerland, and Sweden.

The recording of the event “Overcoming the Labor Shortage: How Vulnerable Groups Can Save Ukraine’s Job Market” is available here:
https://youtu.be/lSRNgRPPcYI

The research materials “Integration of Vulnerable Groups into the Labor Market” can be found here:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1P3F3KfJ4QftrQN2ZWiax6LsJAJNU6mK3