Labor migration to Kiev

   Not long ago I had to answer questions of a correspondent from the "Business” magazine on the topic "Internal labor migration to Kiev”.  

  Some questions and answers are presented hereunder.  

1. What percentage of newcomers in comparison with Kievers (aboriginal inhabitants) searches for labor in Kiev through your agency (if possible, indicate amount of newcomers which have found labor or are searching for it in Kiev within any reference period )

First of all, Natalia, it should be refined that we are not an employment agency but recruitment one. I.e. we render services on selection of personnel for recruiters, for employers.

Then, the "Kiever” concept should be refined as well. This is a person born in Kiev? Or a person having Kiev residence registration (which cannot be verified by us)?   

We deal first of all with the most skilled personnel and managers, since the customers are ready to pay our fee, and rather good one, only for such employees. People within more than 50% of "our contingent” were born outside of Kiev and about 25% have moved to Kiev during the last 3-5 years.

Among the new resumes (more than 200 per day) approximately 25-30% of applicants have come to Kiev during the last 6-12 months, and 5-10% of applicants are searching for labor in Kiev not yet being the Kievers. 

2.  In which sectors the newcomers are searching for and finding the odd temporal job in Kiev?

As to the odd temporal job, at the moment probably only the constructors-moonlighters are coming into Kiev for it.

Others, especially the business-specialists, come to create the better life, climb the ladder, "live and work” permanently.

Since stable unemployment is available in Kiev, the majority of them find the first job quite quickly. Moreover, they can select it among numerous options!

First of all, the young diplomaed people (i.e. "our contingent”) get the job in various business-structures: office-managers, sale managers, sellers…

Quite a lot of middle managers come to Kiev as well.

And the rest become drivers, loaders, forwarders, promoters…

3. What is the average wage in the sectors where majority of newcomers  have job?

Office-manager: USD 400-450.

Sale manager: USD 500-900.

IT-specialists: USD 600-1200.

            4. What is the skills standard of people searching for a job in Kiev ?

In this case the natural selection is going on. As a rule, the most educated, enterprising and ambitious people strive for the capital.

            5. What is the man-woman ratio among such people?  

The girls prevail in relation of about 60 to 40 %.

In my opinion the reasons are as follows:  

-  to find any job for a man is less problematic than for a woman, including job somewhere in the native city;

- statistically the number of women is bigger than that of men;  

- the girls have an additional motivation: there are more bachelors in the  big city. J 

6. Do the employers put up any requirements ? (Who get the job more  likely: newcomer or local resident?)

We, like majority of our customers do not divide the specialists into "Kievers” and "Non-Kievers”, especially in conditions of the current "headhunt war”.

Some employers choose rather the Non-Kievers, since they are coming into Kiev "to build a career” and are more active, industrious and ambitious.

Some employers put directly the task: to invite the regional specialists.

Let us to count the Kiev employees.

About 2.6 million have Kiev residence registration.  Half of them are children and pensioners plus about 300 thousand of various civil servants who do not produce anything, but we have to feed them…  So, less than million of people capable to work.

Amount of newcomers living in Kiev constantly totals 0.8 -1.5 million according to different sources. And take into account – all of them are working people including the non-local students.

Now, who works generally at Kiev enterprises: aborigines or outsiders?

Sergey Belyaev

June 12, 2008