Kherson Oblast ranks among the top three regions in Ukraine in terms of wage growth

In the Kherson region, the median salary rose by 23% over the past year—to 18,500 hryvnias. In terms of growth rate, the region ranked third among Ukraine’s regions, trailing only the Kirovohrad and Lviv regions.

These figures were reported in a joint study by OLX Robota and the European Business Association, which compared data from June 2026 with that from June 2025.

Median wages rose the most over the year in the Kirovohrad region—by 29%, to 22,500 hryvnias. In the Lviv region, the increase was 26%, reaching 33,500 hryvnias. The Kherson region, with a 23% increase, took third place, ahead of the Dnipropetrovsk and Vinnytsia regions, where salaries rose by 22%.

At the same time, despite fairly rapid growth, the median salary in the Kherson region remains low. By comparison, in the Lviv region it stands at 33,500 hryvnias—almost 15,000 more.

Overall, the study revealed a discrepancy between employers’ and employees’ assessments of salary increases.

Among employers, 25% stated that they had raised salaries by up to 10% over the past year, another 30% reported increases of 11–20%, and 17% reported increases of more than 21%. Twenty-three percent of companies did not change their pay levels, while 5% of employers, on the contrary, cut salaries.

Employees assess the situation much more cautiously. Only 22% of respondents reported a salary increase of up to 10%, 12% reported an increase of 11–20%, and more than 21% reported an increase of just 4%. At the same time, more than half of employees did not experience any increase in income, and another 10% reported a decrease.

According to OLX Robota, salaries in Ukraine are currently rising the most in blue-collar professions, where there is a significant labor shortage. Specifically, in June 2026, the median salary for plasterers was 73,500 hryvnias, for tile setters—70,000, and for long-haul truck drivers and bricklayers—65,000 each.

Over the past year, the highest salary increases were seen among tile setters (47%), support staff (44%), secretaries (38%), HR specialists (37%), and agronomists (35%).

According to Maria Abdullina, head of the OLX Jobs division, the rise in salaries is largely due to a labor shortage. Employers are forced to raise wages primarily in sectors where the shortage of workers is most acute.

Consequently, the Kherson region is experiencing some of the highest salary growth rates in Ukraine; however, in terms of median income, the region remains far behind the leaders.

Андрій Колісніченко