In Ukraine, the educational vocation increasingly resembles self-sacrifice. While IT professionals and trades workers emerge as the main beneficiaries of even moderate economic growth, teachers and lecturers remain on the sidelines. Real wages in education have fallen by nearly 20% in three years, making those who educate the next generation hostage to a system that doesn’t value them. Why does a country that declares its desire for European standards turn away from those who create its intellectual foundation? This issue is of increasing concern to educators, who are forced to meet the growing requirements of the Ministry of Education and Culture and at the same time look for additional sources of income to provide for their families.
Education and art are at a disadvantage
Made public NBU analysis of changes in real wages by types of economic activity only emphasizes this problem. The histogram clearly demonstrates that educators suffered the most, because their incomes decreased by almost 20%. For comparison, salaries in the IT sector increased by almost 50%, and trade and finance also recorded significant increases. On average, salaries increased by 7.2%, but the unevenness of this growth is obvious.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
What does this situation indicate? About the fact that the state prioritizes industries that bring a quick economic effect, leaving socially important areas, including education, without proper support. This not only undermines the motivation of teachers, but also creates risks for the quality of education, which is the basis of the country’s long-term development.
Wages in Ukraine continue to grow at a rapid pace, mainly due to a shortage of workers in many areas. According to the State Statistics Service, in the third quarter of 2024, average nominal salaries rose by 22.3% compared to the same period last year, and real salaries (adjusted for inflation) increased by 14.2%.
Interestingly, in most industries, except for education and the arts, the level of real wages exceeded the figures of the third quarter of 2021, that is, the times before the full-scale invasion. This indicates that the demand for workers in key areas of the economy is driving wage growth, even in the face of a difficult economic situation.
Moreover, indirect data indicate that this trend continued in the fourth quarter of 2024. This indicates that the labor shortage remains a strong driver for further income growth of Ukrainians in many sectors. But at the same time, the spheres of education and culture continue to lag behind, which emphasizes the unevenness of economic development and attention to socially important industries.
How the incomes of Ukrainians fluctuate under the influence of inflation
Thus, the analysis of real changes in the incomes of the population indicates a serious unevenness in the approach to the development of various sectors of the economy. In this context, it is important to pay attention to the dynamics of the population’s income in real terms, which is illustrated by the presented graph.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
It shows how the incomes of the population have changed in real terms, that is, taking into account inflation. You can see several key indicators on it:
- Average pension fluctuates quite stably, with small changes. This indicates the relative stability of payments to pensioners, although some declines in certain periods are noticeable.
- PFU salary (social insurance fund) has significant fluctuations. This may be due to changes in employment and economic conditions.
- EUV (single social contribution) reflects receipts from employers. Total EES and its share from the private sector show significant declines during crisis periods, but subsequently show recovery.
- Personal income tax (personal income tax) also has a similar trend, but its fluctuations are more pronounced. This may be a consequence of changes in the income level of the population.
Overall, the graph shows how household incomes responded to economic challenges, including crises, observed in 2022-2024. It is important to note that, despite the difficulties, there are tendencies towards stabilization in certain periods.
The average salary is increasing, but not for everyone
The graph according to the Work.ua platform also confirms the stable growth of the average salary in Ukraine during the year, with an increase of +18%. The trend indicates an improvement in the economic situation and an increase in the demand for labor. However, this increase, as we have already seen, is uneven between sectors, and it is important to consider that the real impact on purchasing power depends on the level of inflation.
Infographic: IA “FACT”
On Work.ua, we can also see the average salary in the “Education, science” category. Over the past three months, it has amounted to UAH 19,000. However, not all vacancies assigned to this category by the platform are, in fact, educational. Here you can see the author of student papers with a salary of 20 thousand UAH and the manager of introductory classes for the same amount, so the general picture regarding the salary is somewhat distorted.
How much does a typical educator earn
If we take the objective figures of salaries according to the Unified Tariff Grid, then the salary of a typical educator – let’s take an associate professor of higher education – is formed as follows.
In 2024, the salary of an associate professor for the 19th tariff category in accordance with the UTS is UAH 10,927. According to the Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine No. 36 of 23.01.2019, the salary increased by 11%, so the amount of the salary was UAH 12,128.97 (UAH 10,927 × 1.11).
If the associate professor has a scientific degree of candidate of sciences, then an additional payment of 15% of the salary is added to his salary. In this case, the additional payment for a scientific degree is UAH 1,819.35 (UAH 12,128.97 × 0.15).
In addition, an additional payment of 25% of the salary, which amounts to UAH 3,032.24 (UAH 12,128.97 × 0.25), is provided for the academic title of associate professor. Also, a supplement for length of service (let it be 14 years) is added to the salary in the amount of 20% of the salary, which amounts to UAH 2,425.79 (UAH 12,128.97 × 0.20).
The total amount of accrued salary of an associate professor with the scientific degree of candidate of sciences after all additional payments is UAH 19,406.35 (UAH 12,128.97 + UAH 1,819.35 + UAH 3,032.24 + UAH 2,425.79).
After deducting taxes — personal income tax (18%) and military duty (5%) — the total amount to be paid is UAH 14,945.89. This is certainly not the amount that can provide a decent standard of living in conditions of constant inflation and economic difficulties. We would like to avoid converting this small amount into the currency of the European Union, but at the current exchange rate we receive only 343.03 euros. Such a figure clearly shows the underestimation of the work of educators, how salaries in this field lag far behind real needs, and how much the state ignores the importance of their work for the development of society in the future.
