Salaries will increase by 150% from January 1, 2026: who will receive pay raises in Ukraine

Social workers in Ukraine can expect a significant increase in salaries starting in early 2026. Salaries will increase 2.5 times in accordance with the government's decision. Find out which professions are subject to the new rules and how much they will be paid

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From January 1, 2026, new terms of remuneration for social workers will come into force in Ukraine. The salaries of employees providing social and rehabilitation services will increase by almost 2.5 times. This was reported by the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine.

Who will receive a pay rise from January 1?

On December 26, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution to increase the salaries of specialists working in social and rehabilitation service providers. The document provides for the application of a coefficient of 2.5 when determining the size of salaries, which actually means an increase in payments by approximately 150%.

The changes apply to employees of state and municipal social protection institutions, in particular:

social managers;

social work specialists;

junior medical staff;

rehabilitation center specialists.

How will official salaries change?

The Ministry provided examples of what the updated amounts will look like in pay slips:

Social manager (15th pay grade): was — 8,243 UAH; will be — 20,607 UAH (+150%).

Social work specialist (12th pay grade): was — 6,773 UAH; will be — 16,932 UAH (+150%).

Junior nurse (4th pay grade): was — 4,058 UAH; will be — 10,145 UAH (+150%).

The Ministry of Social Policy emphasizes that the quality of social assistance directly depends on the motivation of the people who provide it. Work in this field requires not only professional knowledge, but also considerable emotional resources, the ability to empathize, and constant psychological stability.

Denys Ulyutin, Minister of Social Policy, Family, and Unity of Ukraine, emphasized that raising salaries is a step toward fair support for specialists:

"The work of a social worker requires considerable resources, which are measured not only by professionalism, but also by emotional involvement, the ability to empathize and help. Increasing wages is a step towards supporting those who support others every day."

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How many specialists will be covered by the increase?

Currently, there are about 80,000 specialists working in the field of social and rehabilitation services in Ukraine. They ensure the availability of assistance to the most vulnerable categories of the population — people with disabilities, the elderly, families in difficult life circumstances, and war victims.

What does this decision mean for the social protection system?

The increase in wages is expected to:

help retain professional staff;

reduce staff turnover;

improve the quality of social and rehabilitation services;

contribute to the development of the entire social protection system in Ukraine.

Reminder! At the end of the year, many Ukrainians plan their payments, transfers and financial transactions in advance, especially during the holidays. This article contains official information about the work of banks, the NBU's SEPS and the currency market during Christmas and New Year. How banks and the NBU's payment system will work during Christmas and New Year — find out more at the link.

Photo: Valentina Polishchuk / Channel 24

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