There are several ways to view people’s earnings. This time we will review vacancies on employment portals, how much companies offer and workers expect, to find out how much people really earn in large Ukrainian cities.

Average monthly wage in Ukraine in July 2019 was USD 444

The average monthly wage in Ukraine in July 2019 was nearly 11,000 hryvnia (10,971 UAH), which is about USD 444.

However, if you talk to ordinary Ukrainians, they might complain they wished to be earning this “average” wage. In reality, most people are earning salaries well below the “national averages”.

There are a few reasons for that.

1. First, the government statistics only reports on companies employing 10 or more people. Such companies have a more complex reporting system, while smaller businesses are exempt from detailed and frequent reports. Thus, people employed by small businesses aren’t in this statistics, and their wages are often equaling the lowest allowable minimum wages, which is right now 4,173 hryvnia ($170).
2. The second reason is that many people are simply not employed officially. They work without a formal employment contract and get paid cash. It allows them to pocket government subsidies for low income citizens, which gives them more money in total as compared to earning a decent wage but not being eligible for financial assistance. Therefore, such working but “officially unemployed” aren’t in the statistics either, and their wages are low.

This is why the official statistics on the average monthly wages may be rather misleading.

Let’s find another way to check how much people earn in Ukraine.

Many people in Ukraine work without a formal employment contract and receive a salary in cash.

How much do Ukrainian employers offer to pay and workers expect to earn?

Rabota.ua reviewed all vacancies placed by employers and how much people applying for jobs indicated in their listings they wished to be earning.

The results differ by city: The highest wages are in Kyiv (previously spelled as ‘Kiev’), the capital of Ukraine. The lowest salaries among the cities with the population 1 million + are offered in Dnipro.

Here is how much companies offer on average to pay vs. workers’ expectations (in UAH).

• Kyiv: 14,659 (19,978) — 27% difference
• Odessa: 12,830 (14,975) — 14% difference
• Lviv: 12,168 (13,403) — 9% difference
• Kharkiv: 12,010 (12,735) — 6% difference
• Dnipro: 11,910 (12,854) — 7% difference

Surprisingly, the vacancies on the employment portal offer higher remuneration than the average wages as per official government statistics. Possibly, because employers only pay to advertise specialized positions they struggle to fill and low-level positions are filled in easily via ads in a store.

In total, however, the difference between what companies offer and what workers expect is 16% in the whole of Ukraine.

Read also:

• Official statistics on the income of women from Kyiv, Ukraine
• Should I pay women’s travel expenses or send money?
• Ukraine: How Much Money Is Rich?
• How much do Ukrainians pay for not having a first aid kit in a car?