Foreign Workers in Ukraine's Recovery Strategy: Migration Policy in the Context of Sustainable Development

Abstract

The full-scale war in Ukraine has caused unprecedented labour market transformations: mass external and internal migration, acute labour shortages, especially in industry, and the need to attract foreign workers for post-war reconstruction. The current labour migration regulation system, shaped during post-Soviet transformation, does not meet contemporary challenges, requiring rethinking in light of European practices and sustainable development goals. The article aims to compare Ukraine's and the EU's migration policies on attracting foreign workers, identify institutional and procedural shortcomings, and substantiate transformation directions as a factor of sustainable development in post-war industrial recovery. The methodology relies on a systemic approach, comparative legal and institutional analysis. A significant lag of Ukraine behind European standards in labour migration management is established: the current model is overly bureaucratized, control-oriented rather than service-oriented, and poorly integrated with employment policy and labour market needs. EU leader countries view labour migration as a long-term tool for economic growth, demographic sustainability, and social cohesion. Despite some positive developments, Ukraine retains procedural fragmentation, low digitalization, and limited focus on economic needs. The comparative analysis of institutional and legal foundations of labour migration in Ukraine and the EU in context of sustainable development substantiated the transition from administrative-control to service-economic model of migration management. An original vision for comprehensive transformation of policy of attracting foreign labour as a strategic factor in post-war industrial recovery is proposed. The practical significance lies in recommendations: harmonization of legislation with the EU acquis, introduction of a single work and residence permit, development of bilateral agreements, intensification of attracting foreign students through regional educational and immigration programmes, creation of a system of information support and socio-cultural integration of migrants, and improvement of statistical accounting. Implementing these measures will help overcome labour shortages, increase industry competitiveness, and achieve Ukraine's sustainable development goals in the post-war period.

Keywords: foreign worker, migration policy, sustainable development, post-war reconstruction, comparative analysis, migrant integration, single permit, harmonization of legislation, employee, labour market.