Society has long developed such a picture that one person works from morning to night in construction, production, in a hospital or teaches at a school, his hands are tired, his nerves are strained, and his salary barely allows him to live until the next day. And the other is in a warm office, decides “important matters” at the expense of the state and confidently plans a vacation at a resort. And, surprisingly, it is the second who receives twice as much.
Why do those who hold this country on their shoulders – doctors, teachers or workers – count pennies for their salaries, while the bureaucratic apparatus bathes in budget bonuses? Where is justice, if “socially useful work” is valued many times less than bureaucratic chairs? Let’s try to figure out who and why is thriving in Ukraine, when others are barely surviving.
They grow like yeast
Despite all the challenges that Ukraine is currently facing during the full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation, an interesting trend is observed – an active increase in the salaries of civil servants.
For data According to the Ministry of Finance, in October the average salary in state bodies amounted to UAH 57,500, which is 19,000 more than at the beginning of the year, when it was UAH 38,600. In December, annual bonuses and payments based on evaluation results for civil servants of various levels are expected.
Salaries in the public sector are as follows:
- State Statistics Service: from 17.5 thousand to 35.9 thousand UAH;
- State Labor Service: from 15.6 thousand to 42 thousand UAH;
- Ministry of Agrarian Policy: from 22.6 thousand to 53.5 thousand UAH;
- Ministry of Veterans Affairs: from 20 thousand to 55.1 thousand UAH;
- State Tax Service: from 36.5 thousand to 56.3 thousand UAH;
- Ukrainian Institute of National Memory: from 17.4 thousand to 58 thousand UAH;
- State Agency for Energy Efficiency: from 15.6 thousand to 60.6 thousand UAH;
- State Committee on Television and Radio Broadcasting: from 39.9 thousand to 62.3 thousand UAH;
- Ministry of Economy: from 40 thousand to 69.1 thousand UAH;
- State Customs Service: from 35.9 thousand to 70.3 thousand UAH;
- State Audit Service: from 35.7 thousand to 81.6 thousand UAH;
- National commission for regulation in the field of energy and communal services: from 68.9 thousand to 83.5 thousand UAH;
- State Tourism Development Agency: from 30.3 thousand to 87.7 thousand UAH;
- Ministry of figures: from 54.5 thousand to 88.5 thousand UAH;
- Antimonopoly Committee: from 67.1 thousand to 113.7 thousand UAH.
There is no need to talk about judges and representatives of anti-corruption bodies – they know how to work “by the sweat of their brow” and at the same time fight corruption so effectively that their declarations become crowded with real estate, cars and “modest” gifts worth millions. It seems that their fight against poverty was successful. However, poverty has been overcome only in one single population group – the officials themselves. It is interesting that the average salary in the country in the third quarter is only UAH 21.9 thousand. For some reason, the state budget does not have enough funds for its increase.
By analytical data of the YouControl R&D center, when comparing the average annual indicator, it was established that the salary level of people’s deputies has a tendency to increase from year to year. So, in 2023, this indicator increased by 36% compared to 2022, and in 2024 – by 61% compared to 2023. This situation is not surprising, because being associated with changes in the living wage, the salary of deputies will increase with it automatically every time. But raising the living wage at the same time creates even greater costs for ordinary people, and the small increase in their wages simply goes unnoticed.
During the years of the full-scale invasion, there is not a single profession in Ukraine that did not experience difficulties in working conditions. For example, doctors who actually live in hospitals, constantly providing help to the wounded, falling from their feet. The salary of doctors is increasing, but the question arises as to how adequate its level is in modern realities. The average salary of a medical worker in Ukraine is UAH 16,000. Its level is affected by the position, experience of the doctor and scope of his duties. It is worth noting that the place of work plays not the least role in the amount of a doctor’s salary. A doctor in the capital earns the most (17,500 UAH). A doctor from Zaporizhzhia receives UAH 14,000. The lowest paid is the work of a doctor from Kharkiv (13,500 UAH).
The Armed Forces of Ukraine have many medical workers who perform their duty in extremely difficult conditions, exposing themselves to constant danger. Their work is evaluated as follows:
- junior medical workers – UAH 9,000;
- nurses and nurses – UAH 18,000;
- doctors and pharmacists, as well as persons with non-medical education in the medical field receive UAH 28,000.
During the wartime, the sphere of energy industry of Ukraine is experiencing some of the most terrible challenges. Every day, both day and night, energy workers are forced to go to destroyed objects and repair them under constant fire. The average salary of an engineer in Ukraine is UAH 13,363. Wages here vary depending on specialization and region. Most receives an energy engineer from the Zaporizhia region – UAH 16,900, in the Dnipropetrovsk region – UAH 12,567, in the Kharkiv region – UAH 12,093, in Odesa region the lowest figure is UAH 9,350. Employees of the energy sector repeatedly come under fire while performing repair and restoration work. During the period of the full-scale invasion, there are already about 100 dead energy workers, and twice as many wounded. The question arises as to whether the salary of UAH 13,363 corresponds to all the risks and incredibly difficult working conditions that energy workers are exposed to every day. But for some reason, none of the deputies has submitted for consideration the issue of raising the wages of such employees. After all, the functioning of many spheres in the state depends on them.
Sad statistics are also observed in payment work of educators. Although the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine did not promise to raise the salary of teachers in 2024, in reality everything turns out differently. In January 2024, teachers did receive a 10% bonus, and immediately the prestige bonus was also reduced by 10%. The rate of a young teacher without category and seniority is UAH 5,699, which is even lower than the minimum wage of UAH 8,000. The teacher is responsible for the life and health of students in wartime conditions, is involved in paper work, often filling out a bunch of unnecessary reports, feels constant strict control from the administration. And we should also mention the fact that there are various difficulties both in working with students and in communicating with their parents.
It is no longer a secret for anyone that teachers are often forced to buy the material necessary to ensure a full-fledged educational process at their own expense. Can the Minister of Education Oksen Lisovy with his salary of 76,000 UAH understand how a simple teacher survives? The question is rhetorical. Then it is not clear why officials are surprised that young specialists do not go to work in schools, and experienced personnel have lost the desire to be proactive in their field.
I would like to mention the steelworkers separately. Their work is when the air melts from the heat in the summer, and it’s still hot in the winter, because in front of you is hot metal. They work in conditions where a second of inattention can cost health and sometimes life. However, despite the incredible complexity and danger, the salaries of these workers often look like a joke. Meanwhile, officials in comfortable offices regularly receive salaries and bonuses that those who “forge” the country’s economy have not even dreamed of.
The average salary of steelworkers in Ukraine today is 19,763 thousand UAH. This is, of course, more than the minimum wage, but if you compare it with how their colleagues in Poland or Germany are paid, the difference is striking. In Europe, an experienced steelworker earns between 2,000 and 3,000 euros per month. In Ukraine, these people return home with back pain and fatigue, but with thoughts about how to make it to the next salary.
And now let’s pay attention to officials. The salary, for example, of the head of an average state administration can easily exceed 50-60 thousand hryvnias, and together with bonuses, this amount sometimes reaches a hundred. At the same time, the “results” of their work are often so blurred that it is impossible to understand what exactly they are paid for. Meanwhile, the steel worker knows for sure: if he does not take over, there will be no production, no wages, no taxes in the budget, which so generously feeds the appetites of officials.
Manual labor, no matter how paradoxical it sounds, is valued the least in Ukraine. Working with hands, according to officials, is “easy”, but managing processes is “difficult and responsible”. At least that’s what those who sit in offices with air conditioners think so. And the most important thing is that the coefficient of beneficial effect from the “hard work” of some officials is zero, and sometimes their activities do more harm than good.
An unfair pay system kills motivation. Young people do not want to go to work in production, because they see: a hot workshop brings pennies, and a warm chair in a state institution – stable income and minimal risks. If the trend continues, one day we simply won’t find people to forge the metal for the economy. And then the hot season will definitely come, but not in the shops, but in budget reports.
Given this situation, it is obvious that people who have invested money in their education, and now benefit society, can barely meet the minimum needs, not to mention the possibility of saving the earned money, as the people say, “for a rainy day”.
In general, salary depends on various factors, which in turn vary depending on the field of activity, duties and place of work. These factors include:
- qualification and experience of the employee;
- the industry in which the activity is carried out;
- region (as a rule, wages are higher in big cities than in towns and villages);
- position and responsibility;
- economic situation in the country.
Of course, the government increased the minimum wage to UAH 8,000. But, according to calculations Numbeo and Expatistan, in order to provide a full-fledged residence for a person in Ukraine, it is necessary to have an average income of 17 thousand hryvnias. And this is provided that you do not have to pay for housing rent.
Observing how the deputies push for consideration of the draft law to increase their salaries and the salaries of their assistants, constantly declaring that they do not have enough for living and motivating these increases with the fact that they aim to improve the law-making system, you are amazed at the cynicism of the people’s servants.
Why is there such an unequal dynamics of wages in our country, when one group of people receives large sums of money, and the other, on the contrary, barely makes ends meet? Probably, it is necessary for our deputies to get out of their comfortable offices and look at how Ukrainian society lives in the current realities.
How the salaries of ordinary people and officials abroad differ
The salary ratio between doctors, teachers, workers and civil servants varies considerably depending on the country, economic development and political system.
For example, in Germany, doctors’ salaries range from 4,000 to 7,000 euros per month, depending on specialization and experience. And the average salary of teachers is approximately 3,500–4,500 euros per month. Working professions have incomes of around 2,500–3,000 euros per month. But members of the German parliament receive about 9,400 euros per month, federal ministers – about 20,820 euros, and the chancellor – about 24,300 euros per month.
In the UK, doctors earn between £2,500 and £6,000 per month, depending on specialization and experience. And teachers around £2,000-£3,000 a month. The minimum wage for a British worker for over 25s was £8.21 an hour, which equates to around £1,470 a month. The Prime Minister receives around £11,000 a month, which is 7.5 times the minimum wage.
In Poland, doctors earn from 10,000 to 15,000 zlotys per month, depending on specialization and experience. The average salary of teachers is approximately PLN 3,000–5,000 per month. The minimum salary of workers is about 2,800 zlotys per month. The president of Poland receives about 20,000 zlotys a month, the prime minister about 15,700 zlotys, and ministers about 13,600 zlotys.
In general, in developed foreign countries, the salaries of doctors and teachers are competitive and provide a decent standard of living. Officials, especially in higher positions, receive higher salaries, but the difference is not as striking as in Ukraine. This contributes to greater social equality and motivation to work in socially important areas. At the same time, Ukrainian officials and deputies resemble the greedy sultan from the cartoon “The Golden Antelope”, who kept shouting “More gold” until he choked on it.
Such glaring injustice demotivates those who keep the country afloat. We are already witnessing dire consequences for Ukraine: teachers are leaving en masse to work abroad as nannies, doctors are changing professions, and workers are leaving for construction work in Poland, the Czech Republic, and Germany. And those who remain feel cheated and do not see the point of investing in work that does not feed.
And most importantly, such a situation undermines trust in the authorities. When people see that some work hard and barely survive, while others thrive, working only on paper, it only increases social tension. Injustice eats away at society from within. It is necessary to understand the simple truth that the country cannot survive without doctors who treat, teachers who teach, and workers who ensure the livelihood of the entire country. But it can easily do without hundreds of officials who only redistribute resources to their advantage.
Therefore, the state system needs a radical reboot. Not declarative, but real. With transparent salaries that correspond to a person’s contribution to the country’s development. Otherwise, we risk ending up in a situation where only those who know how to work with words and paper, but do not bring any benefit, will remain in the chairs. Because paper reports and bureaucratic meetings will not hold the country together. It is maintained by people who work with their hands and heads, but only for some reason they must survive.
