In the run-up to the summer season, a real race for personnel is unfolding in the Ukrainian labor market. Employers are mass-opening seasonal vacancies, but competition among job seekers is also reaching peak levels. In certain regions of the country, there are more than 15 candidates for a single job.

These data are confirmed by an OLX Job research published by RBC-Ukraine. An analysis of the market for May 2026 shows that seasonal employment remains one of the most active segments of the economy, although the structure of supply and demand has undergone significant changes compared to last year.

Personnel demand: who is looking and who is not needed

General laborers became the leaders in terms of the number of offers in May. The median salary for such positions amounted to 18,700 hryvnias. However, employers are also actively looking for employees in the "Career Start" category, offering work to students and candidates without experience. Here the pay level is higher — the median salary reaches 24,300 hryvnias.

The situation in the market is heterogeneous. While demand for some professions has grown, the number of ads in other areas has decreased significantly. Compared to last May, the market has lost:

  • 18% of vacancies for general laborers;
  • 32% of vacancies for construction workers;
  • 22% of vacancies for waiters;
  • 14% of vacancies for security guards.

Despite these fluctuations, the structure of the seasonal labor market remains stable. The main employers traditionally remain the logistics, trade, catering, and construction sectors.

Geography of earnings: from frontline zones to western regions

The map of seasonal vacancies in Ukraine has a clear regional specificity. The Kyiv region remains the leader in the number of offers. The top regions with the largest number of vacancies also include Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Odesa, Kharkiv, and Vinnytsia regions.

At the same time, a significant reduction in offers has been recorded in the frontline regions. In Donetsk, Kherson, and Mykolaiv regions, the number of seasonal vacancies has dropped.

The highest salaries for seasonal workers are offered by employers in western Ukraine. The Ternopil region became the leader, where the median salary reached 29,000 hryvnias. In Kyiv, Odesa, and Rivne regions, seasonal workers are offered between 26,000 and 26,500 hryvnias per month.

Competition and gender gap

Analysts recorded the highest demand for seasonal part-time work in the Vinnytsia region. Here, on average, there are 16 responses per vacancy, which indicates high competition for jobs.

OLX Job experts note that the labor market situation depends heavily on the region: large economic centers offer more vacancies, while the highest salaries can currently be found mainly in the western regions.

It is also worth noting the persistent gap in wages between men and women. According to data for the first quarter of 2026, men earned an average of 33,800 hryvnias, while women earned 24,800 hryvnias. The largest difference was recorded in the arts, sports, finance, and IT sectors, where women earn 38–47% less. At the same time, the average salary in the country as of April of this year has risen to 30,500 hryvnias.