Amidst ongoing mobilization and a shortage of personnel, the labor market in Ukraine is undergoing significant changes. Employers are increasingly using the possibility of providing mobilization deferment as a key argument to attract specialists. According to the latest research by the OLX Work platform, over the past year, the number of job vacancies with this condition has increased by 25%.

Growing demand and competition for talent

The increase in job offers with deferment directly correlates with growing interest from job seekers. The number of responses to such offers increased by 28% over the same period. This indicates that for many citizens, the opportunity to avoid conscription has become a decisive factor in choosing a place of work.

The leaders in the number of such vacancies are the Kyiv, Dnipro, Kharkiv, Lviv, Odesa, and Zaporizhzhia regions. The top ten regions where employers most often offer deferment also include the Ivano-Frankivsk, Volyn, and Zakarpattia regions.

Geography of salaries: from Zakarpattia to Chernivtsi region

The level of remuneration in vacancies with the possibility of deferment varies depending on the region. In terms of median salaries, the Zakarpattia region is the undisputed leader, where employers are willing to pay an average of 50,000 UAH per month.

Following it are the Ivano-Frankivsk and Volyn regions with a median of 45,000 UAH. High figures were also recorded in the Ternopil (43,000), Rivne (42,000), Lviv (40,000), and Kyiv (38,000 UAH) regions.

At the same time, the lowest median salaries in the category of vacancies with deferment were recorded in the Kharkiv region — 28,000 UAH, and in the Chernivtsi region — 25,650 UAH.

Which professions are in demand and how much they earn

The possibility of deferment is most often offered to manual laborers and service sector workers. The list of most in-demand professions includes drivers, builders, loaders, general laborers, salespeople, auto mechanics, welders, cashiers, and warehouse keepers. It is for these positions that employers receive the largest number of responses.

However, among individual specializations, there are significant differences in pay. The highest salaries are offered to plasterers — more than 101,000 UAH per month. The top 5 highest-paid professions also include:

  • Facade workers — 97,500 UAH;
  • Auto body repairmen — 87,500 UAH;
  • Masons — 82,500 UAH;
  • Tilers — 72,500 UAH.

Long-haul truck drivers earn an average of 70,000 UAH. Conversely, the lowest salaries in the category of vacancies with deferment are offered to nurses, cleaners, and cashiers.

Causes and consequences for the market

Maria Abdulina, Head of the OLX Work department, notes that the possibility of deferment is most often offered by enterprises of critical infrastructure, as well as the manufacturing, construction, logistics, and transport sectors.

According to her, a shortage of personnel has persisted in these sectors for a long time. In this regard, employers are forced to compete for workers not only with the level of wages but also by providing social guarantees, such as deferment from mobilization.

It is worth noting that the situation with the registration of deferment may change in the near future. It was previously reported that the process of registering deferment from mobilization through the «Diia» portal might be suspended in Ukraine. Approximately, the procedure could be on pause until September 1. Also, the rules for registering deferment for workers of critically important enterprises have already been changed in the country.