Construction trades in Ukraine now command salaries two to three times higher than most office jobs, according to Maria Abdullina, head of the OLX Robota jobs platform, who spoke to UNIAN.
Plasterers are being offered an average of 73,500 hryvnia a month, the highest figure among the trades Abdullina cited. Facade workers follow at 70,000 hryvnia, painters at 65,000 hryvnia, general construction workers at 50,000 hryvnia, installers at 45,000 hryvnia, welders at 40,000 hryvnia and electricians at 35,000 hryvnia.
By contrast, median salaries in office roles remain far lower. Abdullina said office managers are offered around 23,000 hryvnia, call centre operators and accountants about 25,000 hryvnia each, sales managers 30,000 hryvnia, and content managers and SMM managers 20,000 hryvnia each.
Why the gap exists
Abdullina attributed the disparity mainly to an acute shortage of construction workers, even though office workers remain far more numerous across Ukraine's labour market.
She said demand for skilled construction workers stays very high because of the active rebuilding of infrastructure, housing and industrial facilities, while the supply of specialists is limited. As a result, employers are forced to compete for workers mainly through wages, whereas competition among candidates for many office roles is traditionally higher, which holds back salary growth.
Vacancy numbers
Abdullina said Ukraine's labour market continues to show consistently high demand for tradespeople and construction workers, with competition among companies for qualified specialists increasing.
She said the greatest employer demand is for general labourers, with more than 5,000 such vacancies currently listed on the platform. Construction workers rank second, with more than 2,000 vacancies open, compared with 1,167 vacancies for sales managers, almost half as many as for construction workers. Demand also remains strong for other construction specialists, with 837 vacancies listed for welders and 412 for electricians. Among office professions, accountants have the most vacancies at 330, followed by call centre operators at 163.
Wider wage trends
Ukraine's average salary rose 5.9% in June compared with May, reaching 32,783 hryvnia a month before tax, or 25,243 hryvnia after tax, according to the latest figures.
Economist Ruslan Chorny said official average salary figures in Ukraine are inflated by payments to military personnel, arguing that real pay levels are much lower than 20,000 hryvnia.
