Exclusive How ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih works with staff in times of war

In order to increase staff motivation, the company is raising salaries by an average of 15% starting May 1

The main asset of Ukrainian steel plants is their employees. Without them, blast furnaces, rolling mills and coke oven batteries are just large units, not means of production. That is why, in a full-scale war, HR management, retention and motivation play a crucial role in the success of the entire enterprise.

Personnel situation at the enterprise

Our company is experiencing a shortage of staff, which has been a typical trend for the entire industry since the beginning of the war. In the labor market, where the staff shortage has increased and persists since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the issue of attracting and retaining qualified employees is becoming even more urgent.

To date, we have more than 1,000 vacancies at our company. The need for qualified specialists is driven by both production expansion and general market factors, including labor migration and changes in vocational training. Mobilization also plays a significant role in the outflow of personnel. Currently, there are about 3,000 employees in the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The shortage of workers is one of the factors affecting production growth. Nevertheless, thanks to the well-coordinated work of our team, high employee commitment and efficient internal processes, the company continues to successfully fulfill its production plans. We are optimizing our work processes, implementing modern technologies and automation, which allows us to increase productivity even in such a challenging environment.

Expanding production remains our strategic priority, and we are actively working to overcome staffing challenges while maintaining high product quality and efficiency.

Crisis methods of working with staff

The plant is actively working to attract new employees, offering training from scratch for most professions, which allows everyone to learn a new specialty regardless of previous experience.

In addition, we encourage women to take up jobs that have traditionally been considered male-dominated, creating equal opportunities for all. For example, last year we launched a training group for crane operators from scratch, and this year we plan to expand to other professions.

We pay special attention to the training and adaptation of our employees by conducting internal retraining, so that many of our employees have several professional certificates and can work in different positions. This not only helps to integrate new specialists into the workflow faster, but also creates a flexible and efficient production system. It also helps to increase employee income by reducing downtime.

Cooperation with educational institutions, as well as attractive working conditions, competitive salaries and additional incentives for employees, also play an important role in staffing.

Wartime remuneration system

Working together with the entire country in conditions that would have been hard to imagine in peacetime, we have survived thanks to the impressive professionalism and dedication of our employees, as well as the support of our parent company, which has provided us with financial injections of more than $1 billion since the beginning of the war.

In order to increase staff motivation, we decided to increase the salaries of employees of the company and its subsidiaries from 5% to 22% (on average, 15%) starting May 1, 2025.

The increase will be made on an individual basis, depending on the deviation of the current salary of employees from the average level of remuneration in the Ukrainian labor market, taking into account working conditions in the workplace, and compliance with internal and external fairness.

Staff retention

The Company pays great attention to staff motivation and retention. We implement a range of measures aimed at creating a comfortable working environment, supporting employees and their families, and increasing job satisfaction.

The main initiatives include:

1. Comfortable and safe working conditions. ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih complies with health and safety standards, both Ukrainian and those adopted by the global ArcelorMittal Corporation. The company modernizes workplaces, introduces modern equipment to facilitate the performance of duties, and provides employees with high-quality workwear and personal protective equipment.
2. Employee reservations. The company has been recognized by the Government as critical to Ukraine’s economy and has the ability to book employees.
3. Wellness and sports initiatives. Employees have a social package, which includes access to health insurance programs, preferential catering on the territory of the enterprise, the opportunity to receive many medical procedures/examinations, as well as summer vacations, including for their family members, at campsites, and other benefits.
4. Social programs and support for employees’ families. The company strives to create not only comfortable working conditions, but also a warm, friendly atmosphere where every employee feels supported. We organize colorful children’s workshops that bring joy to kids, exciting board game nights that bring colleagues together, and a book club where you can find inspiration and share your thoughts. Sports competitions between departments help not only to keep fit but also to unite teams. The Bo Zhyttia Women’s Leadership Forum is a space for inspiration, experience exchange and support. And at our job fairs, we help everyone find their place in our big team. All this creates a real community where everyone matters.
5. Corporate training and development programs. One of the key areas is the AMU 360 online platform, which provides access to a wide range of training programs. It allows you to take a variety of online courses, communicate with colleagues and experts, and share learning materials. In addition, the platform provides an opportunity to study foreign languages and business courses for free.

Thanks to these measures, we not only reduce staff turnover and shortages, but also create a comfortable atmosphere that motivates employees to stay with the company, develop with us and build a successful career.