Comparative Analysis of the Construction Sector of Ukraine and the EU as a Basis for Transformational Recovery
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.58423/2786-6742/2026-13-145-160Keywords:
construction industry, GAP analysis, structural gaps, β-convergence, investment intensity, recoveryAbstract
The article provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of the state of Ukraine’s construction complex in comparison with the countries of the European Union for the period 2008–2024. The aim of the study is to quantitatively assess the structural gaps between the construction sectors of Ukraine and the EU, determine their nature, and substantiate the need for a transition to a transformational model of sectoral recovery. The methodological framework of the study is based on GAP analysis, comparative analysis, and the conditional β-convergence model. The analysis covers nine key indicators: the number of enterprises, employment, volume of sold output, value added, personnel costs, capital investment, labour productivity, average wages, and investment intensity. It has been established that Ukraine’s lag behind EU countries in most of the analysed indicators has a persistent divergent character, which intensified in 2014–2015 and reached a critical scale after 2022. The results of the time-based convergence model indicate that even under an optimistic scenario of accelerated growth, overcoming the gaps in investment intensity and personnel costs would require between 65 and 162 years. This mathematically confirms the inadequacy of an inertial recovery model for Ukraine’s construction complex and demonstrates the objective need for structural transformation of the sector. The practical significance of the obtained results lies in the formation of a quantitative system of benchmarks for developing strategies for the post-war recovery of the construction complex. The findings may be used by public administration bodies to substantiate priorities in investment and industrial policy in the construction sector, as well as to shape negotiating positions within international technical assistance programmes and European integration initiatives. For enterprises in the sector, the results of the study may serve as a basis for the strategic planning of technological modernisation and the digital transformation of production processes. The proposed methodological approach, which combines GAP analysis with a time-based convergence model, may be adapted to analyse structural gaps in other sectors of the Ukrainian economy.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Maryna Kravchenko , Tetiana Ivanova
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