Ukrainian factories are searching for engineers more desperately than for foreign investment: which specializations are in short supply
29 May 17:10
Demand for engineering and technical professionals is growing in Ukraine. According to industry analysts and the Ministry of Economy, the need for qualified personnel in the industrial sector has increased by 30–40% over the past year. The shortage is most acute in the defense-industrial complex (DIC), where the expansion of production lines requires thousands of new specialists.
An analysis of job postings on the most popular Ukrainian job search platforms shows that the defense industry has already become one of the most active employers in the labor market.
Most often, DIC companies are looking for:
- radio-electronic equipment (REE) installers;
- process engineers;
- UAV repair specialists;
- robotic system operators;
- electronics technicians and solderers;
- drivers and production workers.
There is a particularly acute shortage of specialists working with microelectronics, circuit boards, drones, and communication systems.
For example, a job posting on Work.ua for an electronics assembly technician in Kyiv offers a salary of up to 80,000 hryvnias. The employer is looking for specialists with skills in SMD assembly, soldering electronic components, and working with measuring equipment.
UAV engineers and technologists are among the most in-demand
Demand has also grown significantly for engineers working with unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).
For example, a job opening for a UAV repair and maintenance engineer in Kyiv offers a salary of up to 50,000 hryvnias. Requirements include skills in electronics diagnostics, soldering, and working with complex technical systems.
Employers are willing to pay production preparation engineers between 52,000 and 79,000 hryvnias. Job postings emphasize the need to work with technical documentation, organize production processes, and ensure quality control.
Some of the job openings are specifically aimed at young people and those without significant work experience. Employers are willing to train employees directly on the production floor.
Many job postings note:
- the possibility of hiring students;
- paid training;
- mentoring;
- employee retention;
- relocation compensation.
Some companies also offer bonus programs for referring new employees through a referral system. Salary levels in the defense sector are already approaching those of certain positions in the technology sector. The highest salaries are earned by electronics specialists, design engineers, UAV specialists, and robotic system operators.
For example, on the popular website Robota.ua, job postings for operators of ground-based robotic systems may offer salaries ranging from 50,000 to 125,000 hryvnias, depending on the scope of work and working conditions. At the same time, employers acknowledge that even high salaries do not fully address the staffing shortage.
Engineering Crisis: Why Ukraine Lacks Technical Specialists
According to Vasyl Voskoboynik, an expert on demography and labor migration, the critical shortage of engineering and technical personnel in Ukraine resulted from the fact that for many years, young people predominantly chose humanities and economics majors, while engineering remained outside the state’s priorities.
“In reality, most young people focused on professions unrelated to mathematics or technology—economics, accounting, marketing. Engineering, in fact, did not develop,” the expert said in an exclusive comment for
"Komersant Ukrainian" .
The acute shortage of personnel is particularly felt in the defense-industrial complex and the military tech sector, which are currently expanding rapidly.
The Ukrainian defense industry needs specialists capable of designing new types of weapons and working on high-tech developments.
“We find ourselves in a situation where there are simply no engineers. And it is impossible to quickly train thousands of such specialists,” he emphasized.
Analysts note that even with the active development of educational programs, results will only appear years from now, as engineering education requires long-term and systematic training.
The problem of a personnel shortage is also confirmed by the employees of defense enterprises themselves.
An employee of one of Ukraine’s defense industry plants told
“Over the past year, the volume of finished products at the plant has increased eightfold. But this figure could have been even higher if not for the labor shortage,” the source noted.
The greatest shortage is currently observed among radio-electronic equipment assemblers—specialists who work with soldering stations and manufacture basic product components. However, the labor shortage is not limited to technical specialties. The defense industry also needs drivers, loaders, and workers in other production areas.
Despite the labor shortage, defense enterprises are already actively recruiting young workers. According to a plant employee’s estimates, about half of the workforce consists of people under 30.
“About 40–50% of production workers are young people. They are attracted by the salary level, as well as the opportunity for extra income on weekends and the possibility of simplified military service deferment,” he noted.
A quick solution: recruiting foreign specialists
According to analysts and managers in this sector, one of the few quick solutions could be to invite engineers from abroad, but they will require special incentives.
Voskoboynik emphasizes that in wartime, the state must first and foremost ensure adequate pay for defense industry specialists.
“When it comes to the country’s survival and victory in the war, the question of money shouldn’t even come up. The state must ensure sufficient funding for military tech and decent pay for the people working there,” Voskoboynik emphasized.
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New booking algorithm: status within 24 hours
According to the latest updates on “Diya” and clarifications from the Ministry of Strategic Industries, a maximally simplified procedure for retaining personnel has been introduced for defense industry enterprises. Now, an employee’s reservation can be extended as early as 24 hours after they update their military registration data in the “Oberig” system. The new status is granted without canceling the previous one, which avoids a period during which the employee would be legally unprotected while resubmitting documents.
To eliminate inaccuracies in documents, a 45-day reservation mechanism has been introduced, during which a specialist can update their data without interrupting production. Given the strategic importance of the industry, special conditions apply to defense enterprises, as established in CMU Resolution No. 76, which allow for 100% reservation. That is, an enterprise may reserve its entire staff without restrictions.
Additionally, the reservation is granted regardless of whether the military specialty is in short supply. And the reservation status for critical enterprises is now issued for a term of up to 12 months.
However, according to Voskoboynik, if the state acts only on a case-by-case basis, there is a risk that in a few years the market will again face an imbalance. For these reasons, Ukraine must begin now to formulate a long-term policy to promote engineering specialties among young people and their parents.
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