On the Ukrainians Leaving Ukraine

The current economic situation in Ukraine is causing an increasing number of citizens to go abroad for work. According to recent opinion polls, 35% of the residents of Nezalezhnaya dream of leaving the country forever, while more than 70% are ready to leave for other countries, at least temporarily, for the sake of normal work.

And many successfully implement these desires in life. Especially as there are conditions for this: Russia is open to Ukrainians and Europe now has a visa-free regime agreement with Ukraine. There is a plethora of agencies in Ukraine advertising their employment and relocation services.

Mainly young and middle-aged people leave Ukraine (the elderly doing so is not feasible), coming from a spectrum of employment backgrounds, both qualified and not. Those with low qualifications who choose to leave, opt for jobs as waiters, salespeople of agricultural helpers in Poland rather than remaining in their own country.

Perhaps they would prefer to stay in Nezalezhnaya. But salaries in the country are very low; an average of 3-5 thousand hryvnia ($105 – 175) per month. Ukrainians say this was originally a factor preventing them from moving. Should the salaries grow, they will be compared with European salaries and, if nothing changes, people will be further prompted to leave the country.

Some say that, as a result, in the next few years, Ukraine could end up without a labor force and become a “country of pensioners,” though without that workforce, the pensions themselves will suffer. Already in some regions there is a large deficit of cooks, salespeople, electricians, waiters, and technical specialists.

Dimitri Dolaberidze