The summer season in Ukraine traditionally triggers active hiring in the service sector. Odesa and the Carpathians are two key regions where employers are actively seeking staff for retail, hospitality, and restaurants. However, labor market dynamics in these regions are developing along different scenarios: while wages are rising in almost all popular professions in Odesa, the Carpathians are witnessing a paradoxical situation with falling incomes for some workers.
Odesa: income growth with a stable number of vacancies
In Odesa, employers are demonstrating a willingness to pay more for labor. Over the last year, median wages in most in-demand professions have shown steady growth. Leaders in income increase were loaders — their earnings rose by 29%. Chefs received a 20% increase, cleaners — 18%, salespeople — 16%, and drivers — 13%.
The highest demand in the city is fixed for positions of salespeople, drivers, chefs, loaders, general laborers, cleaners, baristas, and waiters. At the same time, the total number of vacancies in the region changed insignificantly over the year — only by 1%.
Competition for jobs in Odesa
Despite wage growth, competition for individual vacancies remains high. The fiercest battle has erupted for the position of administrator: there are almost 11 candidates for one ad. High interest from job seekers is also observed for vacancies of general laborers (8 responses), baristas (7), as well as cleaners and security guards (6 responses each). On average, 5 people apply for the driver position, and 3 for the chef position.
Carpathians: vacancy boom and income gap
In the tourist areas of the Carpathians, the situation is developing differently. The number of vacancies here has grown by almost 13% over the year, indicating large-scale preparation for the tourist season. Employers are actively looking for salespeople, chefs, drivers, administrators, maids, cleaners, general laborers, and loaders.
However, rising demand does not always go hand in hand with rising wages. While drivers received a 30% increase, sales representatives — 25%, salespeople — 23%, and maids — 15%, the incomes of other categories of workers decreased. The median income of loaders fell by 25%, and cleaners — by 28%.
Who is in demand in the Carpathians
Competition for jobs in the region is also high. The record holder for the number of responses was the security guard vacancy — an average of 12 resumes for one ad. There is active job hunting for maid positions (7 responses), construction workers (6), drivers, and waiters (5 responses each).
Labor market context
These data complement the general picture of changes in the Ukrainian labor market. Earlier studies showed that in frontline regions, demand shifted towards salespeople, drivers, and general laborers, while the need for office and creative specialists decreased significantly. At the same time, according to the State Employment Service, among the highest-paying professions in the country remain journalists, software engineers, and shift supervisors in industry.