Analysis

More than three million Ukrainians work abroad

LVOV UKRAINE - APRIL 25: Workers masons laid paving stones in the repair of the main street on April 25 2013 in Lviv Ukraine

Close to 3.2 million Ukrainian citizens work abroad on a regular basis, the country’s ministry of social policy has said, responding to a media enquiry.

“From seven to nine million people have worked abroad for short periods,” ministry officials added.

According to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform, the ministry’s statement stands in contradiction with the data of the State Statistics Service (Ukrstat), whose latest numbers show that Ukrainian migrant workers totaled 1.3 million between 2015 and 2017, a 10.3 per cent increase compared with the period between 2010 and 2012.

The number of Ukrainian migrant workers has increased in several eastern European countries that face labour shortages.

“Currently, highly skilled personnel, as well as specialists in the physical, mathematical and chemical spheres, as well as IT and medical professionals, are in demand,” the ministry’s statement reads.