Local Employment Partnerships strengthen labour market recovery in Ukraine

KYIV (ILO News) – Over the past eight years, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Local Employment Partnership (LEP) approach has shown that locally led, tripartite cooperation can deliver practical labour market solutions, even in times of crisis.

Since 2018, Local Employment Partnerships in Ukraine have expanded access to decent work by helping communities create jobs, develop skills and support entrepreneurship, particularly for people facing the greatest barriers to employment. By bringing together governments, employers, workers, state employment services, education providers, and civil society, LEPs deliver coordinated, demand-driven labour market solutions that outlast individual projects. 

Building on previous years of experience in Ukraine, the 2025–2026 phase of implementation demonstrates how the LEP approach can respond to labour market challenges arising from the war. Across Kyiv, Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts, nearly 2,000 people benefitted from employment, skills development and entrepreneurship initiatives, while more than 80 businesses were established or expanded.

The experience also contributed to the establishment of Ukraine’s National Local Employment Partnerships Network, bringing together partnerships from Kyiv, Lviv, Mykolaiv, Odesa, Rivne and Kherson regions to exchange experience and further strengthen local labour market governance.

At this stage, the approach was reinforced through two complementary initiatives. In the Kyiv region, it formed part of the ILO Director-General’s Initiative on Responding to Crises, helping communities respond rapidly to wartime labour market challenges. In Mykolaiv and Odesa oblasts, implementation was expanded with the support of the Government of Denmark, further strengthening locally led labour market recovery and social dialogue.