On November 29, 2024, UkraineIt is Cabinet of Ministers approved amendments to Resolutions No. 76 and No. 1332, updating the process of booking conscripts into critically important companies, which would exempt them from military service and allow them to continue working.

“We gave all companies more than three months for this (renewal of critical status). At the same time, to ensure the efficient functioning of the economy, we have allowed critical businesses to reserve or re-reserve employees during this transition period during the renewal of critical status,” said the Deputy Minister of the environment. Economy Vitaliy Kindrativ, as reported by Ukrinform.

From December 1, 2024, companies will once again be able to book conscripts through the Diia portal. However, to do this, companies must first obtain or renew their “critical importance” status according to new mandatory criteria. They have until the end of February 2025 to meet these criteria.

Key changes to the employee booking process for businesses

• Reservation for existing critical businesses: Businesses that already have critical status can reserve new employees or extend reservations for current employees until February 28, 2025, giving them time to update their status before the deadline. For example, if an employee’s reservation expires on January 5, 2025, but the company has not renewed its critical status by December 2024, the reservation can be extended through Diia, but only until February 28 2025. Once the company updates its critical status, employees can be booked for a full 12 months.
• New critical status requirements: To update or obtain critical status, businesses will need to meet new criteria, including maintaining salary levels above a certain threshold and having no unpaid tax debts. The government has given businesses more than three months (until February 2025) to meet these requirements.
• Simplified salary verification: Starting December 1, 2024, businesses will need to confirm that any employee they wish to book earns at least 20,000 HR ($480) per month before taxes. The employee’s salary history before reservation is no longer relevant. The Economy Ministry warned that companies providing false salary information would lose their critical status for at least six months.

Audit results and future requirements

Following an audit of critical businesses, 5% lost their critical status, while 95% retained it. The government has also introduced new procedures for confirming critical status to ensure businesses meet the updated criteria. Deputy Economy Minister Vitaliy Kindrativ stressed that the government has provided a transition period for companies to make necessary adjustments, while continuing to reserve employees.

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These changes aim to ensure that only companies meeting the new criteria can reserve enlisted workers, while simplifying and streamlining the process for companies in critical sectors.