European Employment Insights January 2026 (Ukraine)
The minimum social standards are increased
Based on the Law of Ukraine “On the State Budget of Ukraine for 2026” the statutory minimum salary is increased from UAH 8,000 (approximately EUR 160) to UAH 8,647 (approximately EUR 173) per month and from UAH 48 (approximately EUR 0.95) to UAH 52 (approximately EUR 1.05) per hour. The statutory minimum salary is the minimum amount of remuneration established by law for the monthly (hourly) work quota performed by an employee. It is a state social guarantee, mandatory throughout Ukraine for all employers, regardless of the salary systems used by them.
The minimum subsistence level has also been adjusted. It now stands at UAH 3,209. The minimum subsistence levels for specific categories of people are set at: UAH 3,328 for able-bodied persons; UAH 2,595 for incapable for work persons; UAH 3,512 for children aged 6 to 18. The minimum subsistence level is a cost estimate of a consumer basket containing the minimum set of food products, non-food goods and services necessary to maintain human health and ensure human life.
The statutory minimum salary and minimum subsistence level are used to calculate other social benefits. For example, in 2026 the maximum amount of unemployment compensation shall constitute UAH 8,647, while in 2025 it was UAH 8,000. The minimum payment will now be UAH 3,900, up from UAH 3,600 previously. The following categories of unemployed individuals are eligible for these payments: those who have had less than 7 months of insurance coverage in the last year; people who have worked for more than 7 months but part-time, or if their salary data cannot yet be calculated; internally displaced persons who do not have documents confirming their insurance coverage.
The unemployment compensation for certain categories of unemployed individuals has increased from UAH 1,500 to UAH 1,650. This amount is allocated to: young people looking for their first job; those who were dismissed from their last job on a disciplinary ground (like absenteeism).
During martial law, the duration of unemployment compensation payments is limited to 90 calendar days. For people of pre-retirement age (one year before reaching the relevant age and having the insurance coverage required for the appointment of an old-age pension), the duration of unemployment compensation payments may not exceed 360 calendar days.
