The online event Labour Market Barometer 2025–2026 Ukraine was organised by GRC.UA (Kestria Ukraine), a leading career platform for executives and professionals in Ukraine. As an Information Partner, Kestria supported the event to promote evidence-based dialogue on leadership and talent and to encourage cross-market learning between Ukraine and the global business community.
The event brought together HR leaders, business executives and media to review the latest research insights and discuss the key workforce challenges shaping the Ukrainian labour market, including talent shortages, retention, leadership pressure and employee well-being. The programme featured expert presentations, company perspectives and a panel discussion titled:
‘Antifragile People, Antifragile Teams in Ukrainian Business: Strength Under Pressure’.
Key insights from the Labour Market Barometer 2025
The Labour Market Barometer 2025 research highlights several major trends that are shaping employer strategies:
- Labour shortages remain a critical challenge: 58% of companies report shortages across all employee categories, with 37% experiencing a lack of blue-collar workers.
- Retention dominates employer priorities: 65% of companies are focused on maintaining teams at full capacity, while 61.6% prioritise competitive compensation.
- Well-being is rising, but unevenly addressed: 40% of companies report well-being programmes, yet 54.7% do not address employees’ psychological well-being at all.
- AI is increasingly shaping workforce models: organisations adopting AI report significant changes in work processes, roles and skill needs.
Panel discussion: Antifragility in Ukrainian business
A key element of the event was the panel discussion featuring leaders from major Ukrainian organisations, focusing on how companies build strength and resilience under long-term pressure. The discussion explored how teams develop trust and adaptability, what leadership models evolve during crisis, and what Ukraine can share globally about managing talent under sustained uncertainty.
The panel was moderated by Michelle Johnson (United Kingdom), Head of Insight and Consulting, Inpulse and included representatives of leading organisations such as 1+1 media, MHP, Gas Transmission System Operator of Ukraine, POLPHARMA, Syngenta, Nova Poshta and Roshen.
