Departure of men aged 18-22: business experiences staff outflow and attracts migrants from Asia

After the government allowed the departure of men aged 18-22, some Ukrainian businesses experienced staff outflow and began to attract workers from abroad, in particular from India and Bangladesh.

This is stated in the material of BBC Ukraine.

Thus, a survey by the company Work.ua showed that more than a third of companies are already experiencing staff outflow. According to it, these changes have most affected employers with more than 1,000 employees - 60% of companies reported laying off young people. Such situations arise most often in the hotel and restaurant business, trade, and the food industry.

In addition, the study was conducted by the HRD Club Ukraine, a club of HR specialists, which unites more than 50 companies and 600,000 employees. They said that the government's decision affected more than 70% of their respondents.

Co-founder of HRD Club Ukraine Dmytro Dehtiar says that since 2022, many companies have been betting on young people under 25, who are not subject to mobilization. The resolution on permission to leave came as a surprise to business.

In his opinion, there are two areas of development for business now: the first is the automation of all possible processes, the second is the search for people. He noted that some companies have been inviting labor migrants to Ukraine for some time, although this process is also not easy.

"We are expecting this flow. It will not be massive, but it is already there. Among foreigners, people from India and Bangladesh are most often hired. These are handymen, logistics specialists, drivers, welders. Changes are needed to the procedure for employing foreigners, simplification. Now it takes an average of about six months, the employer has to invest a lot of money in it," Dehtiar said.

According to the Institute of Demography, there are about 700,000 men aged 18 to 22 living in Ukraine. Most of them are students, so only 200,000-300,000 of this group are included in the labor market, even taking into account those who combine study with work.

Director of the Center for Economic Strategy Hlib Vyshlinskyi says that if we compare this number with the total economically active population, which is approximately 13 million people, the share of young men is only 2-3%.

"Even in the event of their mass departure, there will be no noticeable blow to the economy. The risk for the economy is mainly that some unskilled or low-skilled young workers may take advantage of the opportunity to leave and work abroad," he said.

BBC Ukraine noted that the exit permit also has another side - the opportunity for those who left earlier to come to Ukraine. According to border guards, men aged 18 to 22 both leave and return.

"This happens every day. So, the age category of men from 18 to 22 years old did not significantly affect the passenger flow crossing the border from Ukraine," the publication quoted the spokesman for the State Border Service of Ukraine Andrii Demchenko as saying.

As a reminder, the Polish Border Guard reported that from August 28 to September 19, 2025, almost 53,000 checks of male citizens of Ukraine aged 18 to 22 years old were recorded on the Ukrainian-Polish border. Of these, about 40,000 concerned entry into Poland, and more than 13,000 concerned exit from the country.

The increase in the number of young Ukrainians is explained by the relaxation of exit rules for men during wartime. The new rules allow young citizens of Ukraine to leave, in particular for study or a short stay abroad, while most men of draft age still have restrictions.

At the same time, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service says that allowing men aged 18-22 to leave has not led to an increase in passenger traffic.