The majority of Ukrainians don’t work in line of their qualifications, employment portal Rabota.ua revealed. Only 42% of their respondents work in the field of their studies and most of them dislike their jobs.

We discussed this issue previously in the post Professions and Occupations of Russian and Ukrainian women. It is not uncommon for a qualified lawyer to choose a job as a beautician, because she is able to earn more money in that industry than working in the field of law.

Less than half of Ukrainians work in the field of their studies

The general notion in Ukraine is still to study at university after school, which is considered a stepping stone to building a great career and achieving success in life.

However, 2018 poll by employment portal Rabota.ua revealed that only 42% of graduates work according to their qualifications, while 51% work in a different industry (7% of respondents had no job and were looking for employment).

Why do Ukrainians qualify in one field but work at another?

“Unfortunately, in Ukrainian realities working according to the qualification is not always possible and real,” Tatiana Pashkina from Rabota.ua comments.

“Disagreements between the system of education that produces specialists convenient for it but uninteresting to the market and the labour market, which retrains graduates, lead to the situation that many people don’t work according to their profession.”

1. Money

The leading reason why people don’t work according to their qualifications is financial. Jobs in the chosen profession pay too little, 53% of respondents stated.

2. No vacancies

30% of respondents said they were unable to find a job by profession.

3. Change of heart

26% of participants realized they didn’t like the profession they trained for.

4. No career prospects

21% of participants chose a different field because they couldn’t see opportunities for future growth.

5. Highly stressful

The chosen profession happened to bring too much stress, 19% of respondents discovered.

How happy are Ukrainians with their choice of occupation?

However, nearly 2/3 of people who don’t work according to their qualifications (62%) are happy in their jobs. The remaining 38% are not content with the current occupation.

Surprisingly, among employees who work in accordance with their diplomas, only 45% are happy with their jobs — less than half. 55% are unhappy.

It’s no wonder that 66% of participants thought about trying a different profession, but only 24% of them are intending to change their occupation in the near future, while 61% think they would do it sometime later.

Only 15% of Ukrainian respondents said they had no plans to try a different profession.

Why do Ukrainians want to change their professions?

The desire to change occupations also stems from the drive to earn more. 54% of respondents said the current field doesn’t allow to achieve their desired income level.

20% of participants think about changing jobs because of discomfort at the current place of work and 16% are simply bored, because they know everything in the field of the present employment.

• The reason why people who wish to change occupations are not doing it already is mostly in fears to lose the experience they’ve accumulated (45%) or the career level they achieved (38%).
• 23% say they fear the unknown and 36% feel comfortable at the present place of work.
• 19% feel that obtaining a new qualification would cost too much.

42% of those who’d like to change jobs simply don’t know what they would like to do instead and 4% admitted they are too lazy to bother.

Why so many Ukrainians are unhappy about working by their chosen professions?

Ukrainians still follow a rather patriarchal family model. Many young adults live with their parents, even if they are married with kids, due to inability to afford a place of their own (even renting is unaffordable). This is why parent have a great influence on their kids’ choice of future profession and university where they study. Kids follow their parents’ advice and then discover they dislike the profession they spend 5 years studying for. But the investment seems too great to abandon, so many Ukrainians keep working in the jobs that don’t bring them satisfaction.

In the current economic climate, many people feel they are lucky just to have a job and be able to provide for themselves. Unemployment benefits don’t give enough money to survive for a person without a job, so having a job is essential for a person to be able to live.

See also how much money Ukrainians really earn. Even dream jobs for Ukrainians pay just above USD 1,000 per month ($250 a week).

Read also:

• Prices for degrees in Ukrainian universities
• Young Russians no longer believe they need a degree
• Wages in Ukraine: April 2018 data
• 5 things that annoy Ukrainians at work