# Who will work Ukraine’s farms as the workforce shortage deepens?

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/who-will-work-ukraines-farms-as-the-workforce-shortage-deepens/
- Published: 2026-11-12T18:55:44+00:00
- Updated: 2026-11-12T20:05:46+00:00
- Original publisher: Kyiv Independent
- Original article: https://kyivindependent.com/who-will-work-ukraines-farms-as-the-workforce-shortage-deepens/
- Topics: Europe, World

## Key points

- Mobilisation and emigration have deepened Ukraine’s farm labour shortage.
- Tractor-driver advertised pay rose 45% to Hr 36,250 a month.
- The article urges farms to recruit more women and young people.

## Summary

Ukraine’s farms are struggling to find enough workers as mobilisation and emigration draw men away from agricultural jobs, a problem the agriculture minister has called the sector’s top concern. The shortage matters because farms are already under financial pressure from disrupted exports and low crop prices, while the workers who left may not return after the war.

Some large agricultural businesses are using wider machinery to reduce the number of operators needed, but smaller farms cannot afford it and GPS jamming can make automated systems unreliable. Tractor-driver wages advertised on OLX rose 45% in the year to July to Hr 36,250 (about $800) a month, yet only 1% of 13-to-16-year-olds say they want to work in agriculture. The article argues farms should better promote skilled, modern machinery work and widen recruitment: 3 to 4 million Ukrainian women are outside the labour market, and 73% of surveyed women without regular paid work said they wanted a job.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.