In the run-up to the heating season, the Ukrainian labor market is showing sustained growth in demand for technical specialists on whom the operation of heating systems, power grids, ventilation, and backup generators directly depends. According to data from the OLX Work platform, by the start of winter companies need energy specialists, electricians, plumbers, fitters, boiler house operators, heating specialists, HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) technicians, heating system installers, electromechanics, and generator repair technicians. A comparison of August figures for 2026 and 2025 shows that the number of job openings for electrical fitters grew by 8%, for energy specialists — by 9%, and for boiler house operators — by 13%. The sharpest increase was recorded for ventilation engineers (+40%) and heating system installers (+57%), while demand for generator repair technicians rose by 5% — primarily due to the need to maintain backup equipment during power outages.
Demand and candidate interest are growing in sync
In parallel with the rise in job openings, candidate interest in in-demand professions is also intensifying. Compared with the previous year, the number of responses to electrical fitter vacancies grew by 28%, for energy specialists — by 32%, and for heating system installers — by 141%. The leader in terms of dynamics was generator repair technicians: the number of responses increased by 169%, i.e. almost doubled. At the same time, employers have become less likely to search for electromechanics, plumbers, fitters, and HVAC technicians, indicating a redistribution of demand within the technical sector.
Median salaries rose over the year for almost all positions
Despite the decline in demand and supply for certain specialties, median salaries rose over the year for almost all technical specialists. The largest increases were in the incomes of energy specialists — by 32%, to 33,000 hryvnias, electromechanics — by 24%, to 39,000 hryvnias, and HVAC technicians — by 24%, to 26,000 hryvnias. The salary of boiler house operators increased by 22% — to 20,000 hryvnias, and electrical fitters — by 20% — to 30,000 hryvnias. Median figures also rose by 17–19% for heating system installers (to 48,000 hryvnias), generator repair technicians (to 33,000 hryvnias), and plumbers (to 35,000 hryvnias). For fitters and electricians, the increase was 14% — to 40,000 hryvnias. The highest median salary in August was held by heating system installers — 48,000 hryvnias.
Geography of demand: Kyiv region leads
The largest number of relevant vacancies in August was recorded in the Kyiv region, where fitters, HVAC technicians, electricians, generator repair technicians, plumbers, and energy specialists were actively sought. For certain professions, regional median salaries exceeded the Ukrainian averages: thus, energy specialists in the Kyiv region were offered 40,000 hryvnias versus 33,000 hryvnias on average across the country. In addition to the capital region, specialists ahead of the heating season are actively sought in Poltava, Odesa, Lviv, Kharkiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Vinnytsia regions.
Contradictory data
The data presented contain a notable internal inconsistency that is important to consider when interpreting them. On the one hand, employers have become less likely to post vacancies for electromechanics, plumbers, fitters, and HVAC technicians, meaning demand for these roles has declined. On the other hand, it is precisely for a number of such positions (electromechanics, plumbers, HVAC technicians) that one of the highest year-on-year increases in median salaries — 24% or more — has been recorded. This may mean that the market is reducing the number of open positions while simultaneously raising pay for the remaining and newly attracted experienced staff. Moreover, all figures are based on data from a single platform (OLX Work) and reflect only part of the labor market, so they cannot be automatically extrapolated to the entire industry without accounting for other hiring channels.
Context: a shortage of skilled workers in manual professions
The rise in median salaries for most technical specialties, according to OLX Work, indicates employer competition for experienced specialists, with the level of pay remaining one of the key criteria when choosing a job. These data fit into a broader trend previously noted by RBC-Ukraine: the Ukrainian labor market continues to experience a shortage of personnel, especially in manual and production professions, which is why employers are raising salaries and expanding conditions for specialists. A similar shortage persists in healthcare, where training personnel takes a long time, making it difficult to quickly compensate for the lack of workers in these fields.
