In her recent post Mariya Yaroshko analysed the situation in the labor marker of EU and Ukrainian agricultural sectors. In Ukraine the main driver for increasing of salaries is labour shortage due to war with significant reduction of labour availability.Europe faces a related, but more structural challenge. EU agricultural employment fell from 5.2% of total employment in 2013 to 3.9% in 2023, partly due to mechanisation and automation. Yet labor continues to become more expensive: compensation per employee in agriculture, forestry and fishing in the euro area increased by 3.7% in 2024 and was 5.0% higher year-on-year in Q2 2025.
Situation in Ukraine
The median salary in the field of agriculture, forestry and agribusiness in Ukraine in July 2026 was 32.5 thousand UAH (623 EUR), which is almost 48% more compared to 22 thousand UAH for the same period last year. This is evidenced by data from OLX Jobs, ProAgro Group reports.
Currency rate 1EUR = 52,15 UAH
Among the jobs with the highest payroll
- combine harvesters – up to 60 thousand UAH per month.
- Seasonal workers and berry pickers - 37.5 thousand UAH (3 times increase compared to the last year UAH 12,1)
- tractor drivers - 36.25 thousand UAH (+45%)
Followed by
- agronomists - 31.5 thousand UAH,
- gardeners and machine operators - 30 thousand UAH.
- Workers and handymen - 23.5 thousand UAH (+ 18%)
The largest increase in wages is observed in professions where employers need to quickly attract additional workers during the season or find specialists with specific practical skills.
The leader in the number of relevant job offers among the analyzed regions was the Kyiv region, where 75 vacancies in the field of agriculture and forestry were posted on the platform. Employers offered the fewest vacancies in Chernihiv region – 17, Sumy region – 16, Cherkasy region – 14, Kharkiv region – 12.
OLX notes that the increase in the median salary in the agricultural sector by almost 48% reflects the increased competition of employers for employees. This trend is most pronounced in seasonal and manual professions, the demand for which can increase sharply during periods of active agricultural work.
The agricultural sector remains among the industries with the lowest income levels. Thus, according to the State Statistics Service, the average salary in the agro-industrial complex fluctuates within 22-26 thousand UAH per month, depending on the region.
Source: ProAgro Group
EU
Cedefop earlier estimated that around 4.2 million farmworkers and gardeners will leave their jobs by 2035, mainly due to retirement. Despite declining employment, around 1.8 million job openings will need to be filled.
Agriculture is becoming more skills_intensive: the share of low-qualified workers is projected to fall from 33% in 2022 to 21% in 2035, while highly qualified workers increase from 12% to 20%.
Comparison
| Ukraine therefore faces a double challenge: war-related labour shortages + seasonality + skills gaps + technological transformation. | Europe: ageing + replacement demand + seasonal shortages + skills upgrading + automation. |
Higher wages alone will not solve Ukraine’s problem.
If salaries rise simply because workers are scarce, production costs increase without necessarily increasing productivity. But if higher labour costs are accompanied by better skills, automation, modern machinery and higher productivity per worker, they become part of agricultural modernisation.
For Business, this means investing in workforce retention, skills, automation and productivity.
Education must respond faster to actual labour demand.
Public policy should treat human capital as an integral part of competitiveness and EU integration.
The European trend shows us that automation does not eliminate the need for people — it changes the skills agriculture needs.
The current HR-question in ago is not only:
“How much do we need to pay to find a worker?”
but also:
“What skills will Ukrainian agriculture need in 5–10 years — and are we already preparing those people today?”