Entertainers and cosmetologists are in high demand: which professions have seen the biggest pay increases
17 April 14:34
The cultural and entertainment sector and the beauty industry have seen the largest increases in salaries . Pay for animators has nearly quadrupled, for cosmetologists it has tripled, and for photographers it has tripled.
OLX Jobs analyzed the growth in median salaries for most of the platform’s job openings between March 2025 and March 2026. Salary levels in March 2022 were also included in the comparison to assess which categories saw the largest growth over the past four years. This was reportedby "Komersant Ukrainian" citing the platform’s press service.
In 2025–2026, median salaries increased by 31% to 96%
The biggest increase was seen in the salary of a copywriter in the advertising/design/PR category: an almost twofold increase—from 12,500 to 24,500 UAH ( 96%). This is the highest figure among all analyzed positions.
Retail supervisors rank second: a 64% increase to 45,000 UAH. Rounding out the top three is an auditor in the accounting category— a 45% increase to 27,500 UAH.
Among blue-collar and technical professions: the median salary for a production assistant rose to 30,000 UAH ( 41%), for a merchandiser —to 25,000 UAH ( 39%), for a plumber in the construction category—to 40,500 UAH ( 35%), and for a body repair technician in auto service – to 60,000 UAH ( 33%).
In the beauty and health sector, a notable increase in salary levels was recorded for the position of cosmetologist —up to 26,250 UAH ( 31%). Rounding out the top ten are customer service managers in retail (up 31% to 27,500 UAH) and bricklayers in the construction sector (up 31% to 58,750 UAH).
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, salaries have increased 2–4 times
A comparison of median salaries in March 2022 vs. March 2026 shows even greater growth. Over the four years of the full-scale invasion, the labor market has adapted to rapid changes—and here’s how.
The culture and entertainment sector and the beauty industry saw the largest increases:
- Animator – nearly 4 times, from 5,000 to 19,500 UAH
- Cosmetologist – 3.7 times, from 7,088 to 26,250 UAH
- Photographer – 3 times, from 9,000 to 27,250 UAH
Job openings in the construction sector also increased:
- Plumber – 3.2 times, from 12,500 to 40,500 UAH
- General laborer – 3.1 times, from 8,250 to 25,375 UAH
- Painter – 3 times, from 15,000 to 45,000 UAH
- Tiler – 2.9 times, from 17,500 to 50,000 UAH
- Plasterer – 2.8 times, from 25,000 to 70,000 UAH
- Construction worker – 2.5 times, from 18,000 to 45,000 UAH
Rounding out the top ten is a dentist, with a 2.4-fold increase from 16,500 to 40,000 UAH.
At OLX, analysts concluded that the labor market is developing unevenly, and the platform’s data confirms this. Over the past year, the largest growth in median salaries was observed in jobs in the retail, advertising, and construction sectors. However, a four-year analysis shows that construction trades and the beauty industry have seen the greatest growth—their salaries have increased by 2.5–4 times. Caregiving and service professions grew the slowest: a nanny’s salary increased only 1.2 times, a housekeeper’s by 1.4 times, and a security guard’s by 1.5 times.
