Why Are Vacancies Closing in Ukraine: Analysis of the Labour Crisis and the Impact of Age Mentality
As of 2025, Ukraine faces a unique staffing problem: the Ministry of Economy recognizes the need for 4.5 million working hands to rebuild the country. Yet open vacancies remain unfilled for months. What is the reason? Let’s look at the real barriers not only external, but internal, which are often hidden in the mentality of employers.
Ukrainian companies often encounter low recruitment effectiveness already at the vacancy announcement stage. Phrases like “A young dynamic company is looking for…” or “Requirement 10 years of experience, two languages, two higher educations” not only fail to attract candidates but actually discourage those who could potentially strengthen the team.
“If your announcement looks generic, typical, and says nothing about the company or the actual job, who will want to work for you?”-this is how the honest conversation about why the market does not respond to offers begins.
Candidate Requirements: The Portrait of an Ideal Who Doesn’t Exist
For years we were taught to create a “portrait of the ideal candidate.” But strict selection and excessive requirements (experience, languages, age, specific skills) narrow the pool of candidates to zero. A paradox arises: the search is not for those who can and want to work, but for an ideal person who simply does not exist.
“Can the list of requirements be shortened and people recruited who meet your expectations by 60%? Or 40%?”-this is a question every company should be asking.
Age Stereotypes as a Trap for Business
One of the sharpest problems is the systematic ignoring of candidates aged 40+, even though this age group could fill most vacancies in service, restaurants, hotels, and logistics.
“Does a person at 50 become unfit for work? My 20 years of recruitment experience prove that with age, a person becomes more balanced, makes fewer mistakes, can do things right the first time, and is just as ready to invest energy in the common cause.”
In Ukraine, there is still a strong stereotype: after 40, a person is no longer interesting to business, and in areas like HoReCa, preference is given to the “young and energetic.” Yet in EU countries and the USA, it is middle-aged and older workers who form the backbone of the service industry. Their experience, responsibility, and loyalty are exactly what Ukrainian restaurants lack many of which are closing now due to a shortage of staff.
Salaries and Market Realities: A Mismatch of Expectations
Another dead end is the mismatch between requirements and pay. Businesses often expect that a highly skilled specialist will agree to a below-market salary, justifying this with “atmosphere” or “prospects.” Reality is different:
“It’s impossible for the most modern equipment to cost as much as cheap used equipment. But for some reason, it’s still expected that a candidate will agree to a salary below the market.”
Sluggish and Multi-Stage Selection: Risks for the Employer Brand
Many employers lose candidates due to an excessive number of interview stages, long pauses in communication, and reluctance to make decisions quickly. In today’s fast-paced market, the winner is the one who acts promptly:
“An active candidate receives 5 to 16 calls a day, and half of them can end in a scheduled interview. Whoever is first today closes the vacancy.”
Reputation, Digital Presence, and New Era Motivations
If a company’s website hasn’t been updated since 2017, reviews are negative, and social media are silent even with a shortage of staff, this is a red flag for many candidates. In an era when anyone can check an employer’s reputation before an interview, the employer brand, employee stories, and “live” voices from the team become decisive.
Post List
Mentality as a Barrier: Why Does the Older Candidate Remain Out of Play
The Ukrainian labour market is still prone to age discrimination. This not only deprives thousands of people of the opportunity to work but also undermines the economic stability of entire industries. While young people migrate and businesses close restaurants due to lack of staff, adult candidates look for work that no one offers them.
“The desire to see only the ‘young’ deprives restaurants, coffee shops, and stores of reliable staff, leads to high staff turnover, and additional costs for constant training of newcomers.”
Global experience shows: the older candidate means stability, experience, and quality of service. In Germany, France, Italy, it is precisely waiters or administrators of middle age who uphold the culture of hospitality. In Ukraine, this niche is still empty due to stereotypes.
External and Internal Factors: What Can Really Be Changed?
External circumstances war, migration, staff shortage are beyond the control of an individual business. But internal processes, candidate profiles, speed of selection, openness to different age groups these are things that can be changed today, here and now. Success will come to those who abandon “eternal youth” as the only advantage in the labour market.
The problem of the Ukrainian labour market is not just a lack of people, but a mentality that still dictates who “has the right” to work.
While companies choose “young and without family worries,” thousands of professionals aged 40+ lose the chance to be useful. In times of war, migration, and demographic crisis, this is a dead end.
The way out is an honest review of stereotypes, process change, and genuine openness to people of different ages, with different experiences and motivations.
The main challenge for business is to learn to see not just the numbers in a passport, but a person’s potential, skills, and willingness to invest in the common cause. Only then can we stop the wave of closures, retain service, and build a labour market capable of adapting to reality not just to the notions of the past.
About the Author
Related posts:
Why Fuel Prices in Ukraine Remain Stable Despite Drone Attacks, Sanctions, and Seasonal Risks 
CBAM and Ukrainian Industry: Why the New EU Carbon Barrier Threatens Key Sectors and Whether Ukraine Can Adapt 
Kyiv International Economic Forum 2025: A Decision-Making Platform for Those Shaping Ukraine’s Future 
Cabinet Turbulence in Ukraine: What’s Happening with the Potential Dismissals of Ministers Liashko and Lisovyi
