Only a Quarter of Ukrainian Companies Plan Active Growth in 2025

Only 25% of Ukrainian businesses plan to achieve dynamic growth in 2025, while the majority of enterprises are opting for a conservative or stable development strategy. This data comes from a recent study dedicated to the sentiments of businesses in Ukraine.

This is reported by AgroReview

Human Resource Policy and Labor Market Challenges

Regarding hiring plans, only 20% of companies intend to actively expand their workforce. Meanwhile, 39% will limit themselves to selective recruitment of new employees, and another 34% will not change their personnel policy at all this year. Only 7% of organizations reported plans to reduce staff in 2025.

The key obstacles to effective business operations remain the shortage of qualified specialists, declining demand, and emotional burnout within teams. These factors were highlighted by 77% of surveyed enterprises.

Industry Growth Drivers and Investment Activity

Among other challenges, businesses note the high level of tax and regulatory burden, adaptation to automation and the implementation of artificial intelligence, the search for new markets, increased competition, as well as issues related to cybersecurity and data protection. The need for adaptation to changes in work formats remains relevant.

The primary growth driver for Ukrainian businesses in 2025 is considered to be the agricultural sector and processing. Following in importance are the construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing sectors. According to respondents, the IT and technology sector ranks fifth on the list of development drivers.

“This year, Ukrainian businesses are actively focused on investing in various areas – primarily in artificial intelligence, process automation, and team development. Only 10% do not plan any investments at all. The most popular investment priorities also include new products and services, marketing and promotion, and expansion into new markets.”