Photo:Open source
The Transcarpathian furniture factory Lamella announced a possible recruitment of workers from abroad, which caused a wide public outcry. Due to the war, mobilisation and the demographic crisis, the Ukrainian company is facing an acute shortage of staff and sees labour imports as the only way out.
According to Myroslav Biletskyi, the head of the Transcarpathian OVA, the company’s management is negotiating with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine on the possible employment of 160 workers from Bangladeshunder an employment contract. At the same time, the company’s commercial director , Yaroslav Shcherbanut, told Ukrinform that it was about 30 foreign workers.
Why does the company lack employees?
Lamella currently employs 500 people, but is expanding to 700 jobs. The main problem is that many Ukrainians refuse to go to work because it means they have to register with the CCP.
“We have a reservation for 50% of men, but 50 people from the plant have already been mobilised, some have been injured, some have been demobilised. Women are trying to replace the men, but there are types of work that are physically difficult to perform,” explained Yaroslav Shcherban.
To fill the staff shortage, the company turned to an international recruitment agency, which offered to hire workers from Bangladesh.
Is this a good sign for the Ukrainian labour market?
At first glance, the invitation of foreign workers looks like a threat to the local workforce. But the reality is different:
✔ Ukraine lacks skilled workers in the manufacturing sector – a problem that affects not only the furniture industry, but also machine building, light industry, pharmaceuticals and metallurgy.
✔ Before the war, more than 3 million Ukrainians worked abroad, especially from the western regions, leaving the domestic market without a significant part of the labour force.
✔ Mobilisation makes it difficult to predict HR policies – companies do not know which employees will be called up in the near future.
What’s next?
The situation in which Ukrainian businesses are forced to look for workers abroad may be the beginning of a new trend. If the government does not propose a clear human resources strategy for the economy during the war, labour imports may become commonplace.
At the same time, this raises the question: will Ukraine be able to return its own labour migrants after the war, or will the market finally switch to attracting workers from Asia and Africa?
