Ukraine is struggling to find enough workers as the war drags on, and it is now looking abroad for help. Morocco is among the countries being considered as a source of labour.
Officials say Ukraine is short of about two million workers. The drop is linked to a big fall in the number of people able to work in areas controlled by the government.
The government has asked the foreign ministry and security services to quickly review a list of countries seen as “low migration risk” to make it easier to bring in workers. The list includes around 70 countries such as Morocco, Egypt, Iraq and Pakistan.
This will not be a large mass recruitment drive. Instead, Ukraine wants to bring in workers for specific jobs where shortages are getting worse. Construction and logistics are top priorities because they are key to rebuilding the country and keeping the economy going.
The pressure is also growing on the welfare system. About 13 million people receive social benefits, while roughly 10.2 million are pensioners.
Ukraine is not yet seeing large numbers of foreign workers arrive. But officials say the country’s population challenges mean new solutions are needed.
Even in a more optimistic scenario where the population reaches about 29 million, the number of working-age people will still be very low. Hiring foreign workers is now being seen as one way to fill the gap.
