Business can overcome staff shortage only in partnership with the state – Tetiana Petruk

All industrial companies are currently experiencing a staff shortage

Business can only overcome the shortage of personnel in partnership with the state, but at present it is forced to rely solely on itself. This opinion was expressed by Tetiana Petruk, Director of Sustainable Development and Personnel Relations at Metinvest Group, during the forum “Creating a Personnel Reserve for Key Sectors of Ukraine’s Economy.”

According to her, production planning no longer depends on raw materials, but on the availability of people.

“This is a very big problem. Ukraine’s reconstruction will begin with industry, and all industrial companies are experiencing a shortage of personnel,” Tetyana Petruk emphasized.

The company cooperates with the Ministry of Veterans, which has created a platform for the employment of former military personnel, and is ready to use all available tools to attract new employees.

«We offer decent wages, above the average for both the region and Ukraine. We are ready to train people at our own expense. But business cannot take everything upon itself. The staffing problem can only be solved in partnership with the state, particularly on issues such as social housing for employees. That is why this partnership must be so productive that it becomes a win-win: for business, for employees and for the state,» said Metinvest’s Director of Sustainable Development and Personnel Relations.

In addition to the Ministry of Labor, the company also cooperates with the Ministry of Education and Science. Tetiana Petruk notes that educational reforms do not always keep pace with the development and needs of business. According to her, the state should more actively involve large and medium-sized enterprises in order to understand what specialists will be needed tomorrow and what training they should receive today.

In particular, the group planned its need for specialists for the next five years and formed a corporate order for Metinvest Polytechnic, a non-state mining and metallurgical university.

“We have analysed the programmes, identified priority areas and aligned them with the Group’s development plans. In this way, the university is training the specialists we will need in the future,” explained Metinvest’s Director of Sustainable Development and Personnel Relations.

This year, the university launched a new training program – a junior professional bachelor’s degree, which has already been chosen by over a hundred applicants. The university also organizes internships for students at the company’s production facilities in Ukraine and Europe.

Tetyana Petruk noted that the company guarantees employment at its enterprises for graduates of all educational institutions, not just Metinvest Polytechnic, cooperates with vocational education institutions in the regions where it operates, and interacts with the parents of teenagers.

Sergiy Skorbun, Head of External Projects Coordination at Metinvest Group’s CEO Office, reminded that one employee in the metallurgical industry creates about eight jobs in related industries, from transport and energy to services. For the mining industry, this ratio is 1:4. Therefore, large export companies need systematic support from the state.