The average income of an employed person in Ukraine is about USD $200-300/month (as of February 2016).
According to the government’s statistics portal Ukrstat, the average salary country-wide was 4362 hryvnia ($164). In Kiev the average level of wages was higher: 7126 hryvnia ($268), Finance.ua reported.
Average Wages by Industry
Statistics by the employment portal Work.ua demonstrate that job vacancies across all sectors offer on average 6390 hryvnia/month (about USD $237). These figures of average wages include vacancies in top managerial positions and IT.
The average monthly income sought by job applicants is 6607 hryvnia (about $245).
The numbers are calculated based on over 61 thousand listed vacancies and 1,6 million resumes in the database.
The current exchange rate of hryvnia to USD is 26.90 Ukrainian hryvnia for 1 US Dollar.
The minimum wage in Ukraine equals 1318 hryvnia/month ($49). This income level still attracts taxes. The after tax take home monthly income derived from the minimum salary is 1109 hryvnia ($41). See our earlier report on living on minimum wage in Ukraine.
Minimum wage is used to calculate social security payments and pensions. In fact, there is a sizable proportion of Ukrainians forced to live on such incomes.
- Positions in top management, real estate, and IT sectors offer the highest income, which is still under $600/month.
- Junior and casual positions pay less than $200/month.
Statistics on wages in Ukraine by Work.ua are based on analysis of 61105 vacancies and 1637303 resumes.
Average Wages by City
Large Ukrainian cities offer higher wages. Smaller regional towns have fewer vacancies and lower salaries listed in the job ads.
It is not rare in Ukraine for employees to receive wages in two portions: the official part, on which taxes are paid, and a non-official ingredient, which is remunerated in cash.
Officials estimate that about 40% of Ukrainian GDP is in the shadow, i.e. goes through cash channels, which are unaccounted for taxes. Experts believe that the share of Ukrainian shadow economy may be substantially higher.
Average wages offered by city (hryvnia/USD):
- Kiev: 7285 ($270); desired: 8315 ($309)
- Odessa: 6367 ($236); desired: 8504 ($316)
- Kharkiv: 6667 ($247); desired: 8206 ($305)
- Zaporizhia: 5053 ($187); desired: 7467 ($277)
- Dnipropetrovsk: 5770 ($214); desired: 7786 ($290)
Ukraine-wide: 6390 ($237); desired: 6607 ($245).
Gender pay gap: Women in Ukraine earn 28-41% lower wages than men for comparable positions.
Average wages in Odessa, Ukraine.
Average wages in Kiev, February 2016 data by Work.ua.
How Average Wages in Ukraine Changed in 2015
On 6 January 2015 the average salary sought in Ukraine was 5120 hryvnia/month.
On 1 December 2015 the average remuneration job seekers listed as desired was 6400 hryvnia, or 25% higher.
However, during the same period the exchange rate of hryvnia to USD changed from 15.77 to 23.94 hryvnia per 1 US Dollar (51% higher).
In other words, even if people could get the jobs with the monthly wages they desired, their actual income (in USD) would have dropped by 26% from January to December.
The galloping inflation in Ukraine in 2014-2015 diminished actual take home incomes of employees, despite growth of incomes in hryvnia.
How average wages in Ukraine changed in 2015.
Read also:
- Salaries and Costs of Living in Ukraine
- Cigarettes in Ukraine Cost Only 60 Cents per Pack
- Gender Pay Gap in Ukraine — Women Earn 41% Less Than Men for Top Jobs
- Professions and occupations of Russian and Ukrainian women
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This makes me very, very sad. I’m shocked by these figures, just floored – my heart sinks. And, I’m amazed that the people of Ukraine haven’t either abandoned the country en masse or gone into open rebellion and overthrown the government. “and IT sectors offer the highest income, which is still under $600/month” — !! When I was in the internet business (16 years, I founded the company in ’95) I would do consulting on networking and server issues for medium sized firms like banks, factories, telecom providers, etc. My rate was $150 per hour then, and my last contract… Read more »
Chris, do you even know how much money is paid to “typing slaves” (writers who entertain foreigners in dating chats)? Check our articles on PPL (pay per letter). See these stories: – sex bots go wild – the ugly truth about PPL dating sites for Ukrainian women – PPL reloaded: how fake Ukrainian dating sites work – hilarious recruitment ads of Ukrainian marriage agencies In short, about 5-10% of what you paid probably went to the author of chats and letters (maybe a young guy laughing his pants off 🙂 ). About 50-75% went to the giant PPL consortium, whose… Read more »
Poor country! Actually the article the figures are too high! In a country rife with corruption as to Yanukovych, and after it. From the claimed figures need to take away the taxes and will receive a penny! The government does not help people and are driven into poverty. Live well politicians and businessmen!