Three out of four Ukrainian companies today report a shortage of workers. At the same time, almost 7 million Ukrainians remain outside the labor market, and over 30% of the registered unemployed have higher education. Under such conditions, automation becomes for business not just a way to optimize individual processes, but one of the key tools for supporting the productivity and competitiveness of the economy.
“Business is hit every day, and we have to recover again and again. We cannot wait for this to end – so we need to develop in parallel. But for this we need people, and it is precisely them that businesses lack the most today. Our task is to automate processes where there are not enough workers, and to return those who are currently outside the labor market to it. This is exactly the symbiosis of technology and people that we are building, in particular in Obria,” said Oleksandr Tsybort, Deputy Minister of Economy and Environment of Ukraine for Digital Development, Digital Transformations and Digitalization.
According to him, the combination of technology and human potential should become one of the solutions to overcome the structural shortage of workers. Automation allows us to transfer routine operations to technology, and direct people to tasks that require qualifications, experience and decision-making.
The fact that automation is already directly related to the competitiveness of business was also emphasized by the First Deputy Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Valeria Koval.
“Today, digitalization is not just a button on a smartphone where you can easily and quickly get something. The issue of digitalization and, especially, process automation is the key to the competitiveness of all businesses. We are replacing routine tasks with automation in order to direct people, who are currently lacking due to the staff shortage, to strategic tasks that move us forward,” said Valeria Koval.
The demand for such solutions is increasingly being formed by enterprises themselves. Industry, the agricultural sector and logistics need not only the digitalization of existing processes, but also new technological solutions that can compensate for the shortage of people and increase production efficiency.
“Industrial, agricultural and logistics businesses today generate demand not just for digitalization, but for new technological solutions. The lack of people is prompting a rapid growth in automation. By combining our most effective models and a powerful IT sector, we will definitely be able to write the code for the Ukrainian economy together, which will be sustainable and competitive in the world,” said Ruslan Ilyichov, General Director of the Federation of Employers of Ukraine.
At the same time, technologies can only provide an economic effect if there is a basic digital infrastructure. To implement more complex solutions, including artificial intelligence, companies need high-quality data, ERP systems, cloud infrastructure, cybersecurity, and well-established business processes.
That is why the digital transformation of the economy covers not only large technology companies. Tools are already available for small and medium-sized businesses that help them transition to modern management and interaction systems with the state. Among them are the rejection of 1C, the Pulse platform, the ERP vouchers for MSMEs program, the digitalization of licenses through e-Permit, and tools for preparing businesses for work in the EU single market.
“For the IT Ukraine Association, the development of the Ukrainian IT industry and the digital transformation of the entire economy are important. Our task is to combine strong Ukrainian technological expertise with real business needs so that digitalization turns into concrete economic results,” said Maria Shevchuk, Executive Director of the IT Ukraine Association.
Representatives of the state, business and technology sector discussed these solutions and challenges on October 5 during the “Code of Economy” conference, organized by the Ministry of Economy and Environment of Ukraine together with the IT Ukraine Association and the Federation of Employers of Ukraine. The event was attended by over 300 representatives of the state sector, technology companies, industry, the agricultural sector, retail, the financial sector and international partners.
The conference was held with the support of the STEP IN 2 EU international cooperation program, which is co-financed by the governments of Germany and Norway, the European Union within the framework of the EU4Business initiative, as well as the governments of Lithuania and Estonia. The program is implemented by Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH. (Economy Ministry)