Average Salary in Ukraine’s Agriculture Increased by 27% Over the Year
The agricultural sector of Ukraine is demonstrating record growth in salary rates — over the year, the average wage has increased by nearly a third. However, even this growth does not solve the problem of acute labor shortages, which will become structural for the industry by 2026.
This is reported by AgroReview
Salary Dynamics in Agriculture: Key Figures
As of February 2026, the average salary of an employee in Ukraine’s agricultural, forestry, and fishing sectors was 26,358 UAH. This is 27% higher than in February 2025, when the average salary was 20,673 UAH. At the same time, compared to January 2026, when it was recorded at 26,877 UAH, the figure has slightly decreased.
By the end of 2025, the average salary in the agricultural sector amounted to 24,227 UAH, which is 34% higher than the level at the end of 2024 (18,012 UAH). Depending on the comparison period, the overall salary growth in the sector ranges from 27% to 34%.
On average across the country, in February 2026, an employee earned 28,321 UAH — this is 1.2% more than in January and 22.4% more than a year ago.
Discrepancies from the Average Salary and Regional Differences
Despite the rapid growth, the agro-industrial complex still lags behind the national average: the average salary here is 7% lower than the overall average in Ukraine. For comparison, in the field of information and telecommunications, the highest salary level was recorded in February 2026 — 78,941 UAH. The lowest salaries were earned by workers in the arts, sports, and entertainment sectors — 18,681 UAH.
Regional discrepancies remain significant: in Kyiv, the average salary was 45,651 UAH, while in Kirovohrad region, it was only 20,083 UAH.
The growth of salaries in agriculture is accompanied by a persistent labor shortage. According to estimates from the Ministry of Economy, starting from 2026, the demand for specialists in the agro-industrial complex will exceed the number of applicants by 30–40% each year. Research by the State Employment Service and the Federation of Employers shows that 56% of employers plan to raise salaries in 2026 by an average of 10–20%. Agriculture remains among the leaders in terms of growth in salary expectations.
Experts from the Work.ua platform and analysts note that the agricultural sector continues to be among the segments with the highest growth in salary expectations — a trend that was noticeable as early as 2025. The main reason is the persistent labor shortage caused by the mobilization and migration of over 6 million Ukrainians abroad.
“The labor shortage is becoming a systemic factor, rather than a temporary consequence of the war. The increase in wages is not only a positive for households but also a serious challenge for businesses and the competitiveness of the economy,” analysts from Glavkom note.
Forecasts suggest that without active measures to encourage the return of migrants and retraining of workers, the pressure on wages and the imbalance in the labor market in the agricultural sector will only intensify in 2026–2027.