Assessing business perspectives in the automotive industry of Ukraine: national and regional aspects of sectoral development

Abstract

The study examines development trends and business perspectives in the automotive industry of Ukraine and particularly in Transcarpathia. The trends of the labor market in Ukraine have been identified, the state of migration processes, the level of unemployment in the regions of Ukraine have been assessed. The results of a comparative analysis of the level of the minimum wage in Ukraine in terms of regions, categories and positions are presented. The standard salary of back-office workers and management in the automotive sector was studied. The evolution of the regulatory and legal provision of state regulation of the development of the automobile industry in Ukraine is traced. Radical changes in the state policy of the development of the automotive industry of Ukraine were revealed: from constant support of car manufacturers and stimulation of car production to bureaucratic barriers, obstacles and existing risks and threats. It is stated that since 2014, Russia's armed aggression against Ukraine has led to a significant decline in the car industry. The effectiveness of the activities of the largest automotive industry companies in Zakarpattia Oblast was studied for the period 2018-2022. The financial indicators chosen for analysis were the capital-to-asset ratio, return on assets (ROA), return on equity (ROE) and net profit margin (NPM). A conclusion was made about the positive trend of increasing the volume of activity and improving the financial stability and profitability of companies over the past 5 years. From the point of view of investors, the most attractive is Eurocar, which demonstrates positive dynamics of the indicator and has the highest value of ROE among the selected companies at the end of 2022, namely 19.6%. Proximity to the border with the EU, cheap labor and sufficient raw materials make the western oblasts of Ukraine especially attractive for partnership with European auto giants. The need to create an automobile cluster in the region was emphasized.