Ukraine received 6,272 labor migrants last year, or 0.14% of workforce shortage
In 2025, Ukraine issued 9,582 permits for the employment of foreigners and stateless persons, while 3,310 permits were revoked. As a result, 6,272 labor migrants remained in the country, accounting for 0.14% of the 4.5 million workers that need to be attracted to the labor market, a government source familiar with the matter told Interfax-Ukraine.
The small share of foreigners in the domestic labor market is also confirmed by the State Employment Service. According to the agency’s statistics, before the start of the full-scale invasion employers annually obtained about 21,000 permits for foreign workers.
"After 2022, this figure declined and has still not returned to pre-war levels. For example, 4,720 permits were issued in 2024 and 7,483 in 2025. This is more than twice lower than before the start of the full-scale war," the Employment Service website said.
The State Migration Service provides slightly different statistics. As of December 31, 2025, 47,684 foreigners and stateless persons with temporary status were registered in Ukraine. Of those, 8,440 temporary residence permits were issued for the first time in 2025.
However, all agencies agree that the share of foreigners in Ukraine’s labor market remains negligible. In addition to employer consent, obtaining documents involves numerous issues related to visas, Security Service of Ukraine checks, residence permits, and other procedures, as a result of which only a portion of workers ultimately arrive in Ukraine.
Thus, despite labor migration, labor shortages are becoming increasingly acute on the market.
"That is why it is now necessary to develop a new migration policy, taking as examples the legislation of countries that have been successful in this area, such as Canada, Australia, or Israel. Then there will be no speculation and the issue of providing labor resources for Ukrainian business will begin to be resolved," the agency’s source said.
At the same time, in his opinion, the priority should unquestionably be preserving the domestic labor potential so that Ukrainians return from the EU and do not leave for Europe. Only after understanding how many workers are lacking and in which sectors should foreign workers be attracted for specific projects, while establishing rules for employer companies and ensuring oversight by the State Labor Service.