The government is working on a draft programme to create 100,000 additional jobs for male and female veterans, Prime Minister Serhiy Koretskyi announced at the 9th International Veterans’ Forum in Kyiv. State-owned companies, the business sector and private employers are to be involved in its implementation.
Briefly about the main points
- The programme provides for 100,000 additional places for veterans.
- The plan is to involve both state-owned and private companies in the recruitment process.
- According to Koretsky, there are over 1.5 million veterans in Ukraine.
- By 2027, the government aims to standardise more than half of the services provided to veterans.
- Employers should adapt working conditions and work teams to suit veterans.
The programme is designed to combine employment, training and integration
Koretsky He described the task at hand as a «challenge with an asterisk», given the size of the veterans’ community. He also identified as government priorities helping male and female veterans to find work, learn a new trade, resolve housing issues and participate actively in society.
In February, the government approved the «Veteran.Work» state target programme for 2026–2027. It provides for vocational adaptation and retraining, digital job-search tools, workplace adaptations and support from the State Employment Service following vocational adaptation.
By early May, over 3,000 male and female veterans and more than 1,100 employers had registered on the «Veteran’s Career» platform. The service featured over 113,000 active job vacancies and includes a module designed to help translate military experience into civilian skills.
The government plans to introduce uniform standards for services in local communities
According to the Prime Minister, there are already more than 1.5 million veterans in Ukraine, and this figure could rise to 3 million in the future. He described physical and mental health as a separate strand of veterans’ policy.
The government aims to bring more than half of veteran services up to a single standard by 2027. A clear support mechanism is to be in place in at least 80% communities, Mr Koretskyi said.
In 2025, the services State Employment Service 17,900 combatants benefited from the scheme, whilst 3,900 found employment with its assistance. Over 4,000 combatants and people with disabilities studied at the service’s vocational and technical education centres.
Employers need to adapt their work processes
Koretskyi stated that it is not veterans who should have to adapt to organisations, but organisations and work teams that should adapt to veterans. He called for the experience, discipline and skills gained during the war to be utilised in the civil service, business and public administration.
This approach is also embedded in the «Veteran.Work» programme, which sets out standards for the integration of employees into work teams. According to a study by the Ukrainian Veterans’ Fund and Robota.ua, over 57% of the veterans surveyed reported facing obstacles whilst looking for work; these included pay levels, physical condition, psychological and emotional difficulties, and discrimination.
Back in April, the government had already announced its aim to find employment for 100,000 veterans through a partnership between the state and the business sector by 2030. In his latest statement, Koretskyy did not specify a specific deadline for achieving this target.
