The unemployment rate among Ukrainian veterans has risen to 30.95%. This is evidenced by the survey “Current Needs and Vision of Opportunities for Career and Professional Growth of Veterans in Ukraine” presented by the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
For comparison, in 2023, 28% of veterans said they were unemployed. During the year, the unemployment rate among defenders increased by almost 3%.
Veterans are trying to integrate into different areas of employment. Among them, the most popular are self-employment (8.31%), civil service (7.45%), service sector (5.44%), IT (4.3%), and the public sector (4.3%). However, the search for jobs for veterans is currently accompanied by a number of problems, including stereotypes on the part of employers and limited opportunities for retraining.
“Veterans see the biggest obstacle to future employment not in the level of salary. They are worried about physical health problems (63.61%), lack of understanding from society (63.32%) and psychological difficulties (50.57%),” says Ruslana Velychko-Tryfoniuk, acting executive director of the Ukrainian Veterans Foundation.
50.1% of veterans want to start their own business, which indicates the need to support entrepreneurial initiatives.
“For the career and professional growth of veterans in Ukraine, there is a need for a comprehensive approach that includes training, work environment, and psychological support for veterans,” says Dmytro Martynenko, veteran, active duty military, entrepreneur, winner of the VARTO 2.0 project competition.
The survey was conducted between January 15 and 25, 2024, among veterans and active military personnel about their current needs and vision of opportunities for career and professional growth in Ukraine. A total of 1043 respondents took part in the survey. The results of the survey are not representative, but they do reflect the current mood and certain trends among the target audience.
