Economy or the Army? Why This Is a False Dilemma
The reservation system needs to be changed, and this is a long-overdue decision. But change should not be chaotic, but based on a clear economic and security logic.
Since 2023, we have been proposing the following model for booking critical personnel for business: the company has the right to book up to 15% of key employees — those without whom work simply stops — provided that the salary level is set at UAH 35,000+. This would make it possible to attract more than UAH 250 billion to the state budget through de-shadowing of salaries and increased tax revenues. This is not about benefits for business, but about the survival of the economy, because it is the economy that finances the army today. And if we weaken the economy, we will automatically weaken defense.
At the same time, we need to strengthen recruitment to the Armed Forces of Ukraine, create economic incentives for volunteers, launch a system rotation (military service — civilian work) and attract foreign recruits. And it is imperative to conduct an audit of the use of human resources in the defense sector. Now we have a paradox: there are over a million people in the army, and how effectively they are used is an open question.
The shortage of personnel is already a key problem of the economy. Only about 75% of vacancies are filled, and most of them are not closed for months. At the same time, 9 million Ukrainians remain out of economic activity. This means that there is a reserve, but it is not worked with systematically.
Radical ideas like “take everyone into the army, leaving only critical enterprises” are the path to economic collapse. The economy is not a set of separate industries, but a single system. If one link falls out, everything will break.
The main task is to find a balance: to provide the army with people and at the same time maintain a working economy. And this balance is possible only through clear rules, transparency, and a strategic approach to the development of human capital.
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