At the end of 2025, Agrohub surveyed agricultural market participants about their plans to revise salaries in 2026. The study involved 18 holdings with a combined land bank of 2.2 million hectares and around 100 grain elevators.

According to the survey, 83% of companies plan to increase employee incomes in 2026; some have already approved the decision, while others are finalising it. The remaining 17% currently do not plan any changes. Among companies planning increases, 73% are targeting a range of +10–15% in hryvnia terms, in line with inflation expectations and the current market environment. For scarce and critical roles, companies are budgeting increases of up to 20%. For certain positions, including drivers and tractor operators, forecasts also mention increases of up to 25%, although these remain rather exceptional cases.

Agrohub also separately analysed companies with livestock operations. Among the study participants, 60% have a livestock business, and all of them plan to raise salaries. The main range is also 10–15%, while some companies are considering increases of up to 20%. Unlike crop production, where the currency factor partly offsets rising costs, livestock businesses generate most of their revenues in hryvnias, which increases internal cost pressure, particularly given the decline in prices in 2025.

Around one-third of companies had already raised salaries as of 1 January 2026, while most are planning revisions ahead of the start of the production season, in March–April. In their budget assumptions, companies are mostly using an exchange rate of UAH 45–45.5 per US dollar, less commonly UAH 43 per US dollar.

A clear trend for 2026 is the shift towards more flexible approaches to compensation. The share of companies relying exclusively on piece-rate pay is declining. Instead, a combined model is becoming more widespread, consisting of a fixed component plus a variable component linked to the volume of work performed.

“The study results show that Ukrainian agribusiness remains focused on retaining qualified employees despite the economic challenges. Labour shortages persist, and today filling a vacancy often costs more than retaining an existing employee. Large companies typically respond in a more centralised and coordinated way, with decisions made simultaneously for broad categories of personnel. Medium-sized companies have more room for flexible and individual solutions, creating greater variability in how employee incomes are structured,” comments Dmytro Lyebyedyev, Head of HR360 at Agrohub.

The study was conducted in December 2025 and covered three areas of agribusiness: crop production, livestock farming and grain elevators. It involved 18 holdings with a combined land bank of 2.2 million hectares and around 100 grain elevators. If you are an agricultural producer and would like to participate in the study and receive the full results, please contact Agrohub at dl@agrohub.org.