POST-WAR MIGRATION POLICY OF UKRAINE
Abstract
The article analyzes Ukraine’s post-war migration policy as a systemic instrument of economic recovery and long-term human capital management under conditions of demographic decline, labor shortages, and structural transformation of the economy. It argues that large-scale destruction, population losses, forced emigration, and accelerated population aging fundamentally reshape the country’s growth potential, making traditional labor supply mechanisms insufficient. In this context, migration policy is conceptualized not as a supplementary social tool but as a core component of the post-war economic model aimed at stabilizing the labor market, restoring productive capacity, and increasing potential GDP. The study examines key demographic and macroeconomic prerequisites driving the need for selective immigration, including workforce deficits in reconstruction-related sectors, regional asymmetries of recovery, and the widening gap between labor demand and domestic supply. The article identifies sectoral priorities for labor inflows, concentrating on industries with high multiplier effects such as construction, infrastructure, energy, healthcare, engineering, STEM-related fields, and defense technologies. It argues that the qualitative composition of migration flows is more important than their scale for converting migration into a driver of productivity growth and economic modernization. The study further explores the institutional architecture of migration governance and integration, highlighting long-term legal status, family reunification, labor market access, housing solutions, language acquisition, and skill recognition as critical factors of migrant retention and fiscal sustainability. The article concludes that a selective and economically oriented migration policy can significantly contribute to compensating demographic losses, supporting regional reconstruction, and strengthening Ukraine’s long-term economic growth potential in the post-war period.
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