(KYIV, UKRAINE) – The Ukrainian government has approved a new system for state funded education places that will be based on a long term forecast of the country’s labour market needs. The decision marks the first time such an approach has been used in Ukraine.
The Cabinet of Ministers adopted the resolution, which launches a reform of how state orders for specialist training are formed, the Ministry of Economy explained. From now on, the process will not rely solely on proposals from state institutions. It will also be guided by a detailed projection of which skills the economy will require in the years ahead.
The new method will already be used when forming the state order for the 2026 and 2027 academic years, the ministry confirmed.
The resolution introduces three connected parts to the new system. These are a long term forecast of labour market needs, an assessment of the economy’s demand for specialists, and a fresh approach to how the state order itself is put together.
For the first time, a 10 year forecast of the economy’s need for specialists has been prepared using economic modelling. The document was developed by the Ministry of Economy together with KPMG, with support from the government of Belgium. It takes into account expected economic changes linked to the country’s reconstruction, technological development, demographic trends, migration processes and Ukraine’s path towards European integration.
According to the base scenario, the economy’s need for employed workers will rise from 12.9 million people in 2025 to 13.6 million in 2030 and 14.6 million in 2036. The greatest demand is expected for specialists in technical, engineering, production, construction, medical and scientific fields.
In the construction sector alone, the need for workers could climb from about 520,000 people to more than 1.2 million by 2036. Rising demand for personnel is also expected in the processing industry, as well as in professional, scientific and technical activities.
Estimates suggest that just in the period from 2032 to 2036, the Ukrainian economy will require around 2.62 million new workers. The highest demand is forecast for professionals, skilled workers, technical specialists, and workers in production, trade and the service sector.
At the same time, the ministry made clear that it will be impossible to meet future economic needs using only graduates from educational institutions. Alongside the education reform, measures remain necessary to bring economically inactive people into the labour market and to encourage the return of Ukrainians from abroad.
Going forward, the labour market needs forecast will be updated regularly. The results are planned to be made openly available to educational institutions, employers and prospective students.
The reform comes as Ukraine continues to secure international financial backing for its economic development. The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors recently approved the first Development Policy Operation titled “Jobs in Ukraine and Private Sector Growth.” The programme involves financing worth $3.39 billion (approximately £2.67 billion).
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