Industry of Ukraine

Industry is the main structural unit of Ukrainian economy. It accounts for one third of assets and more than 35% of the population employed in the national economy. The leading role of industry in the economy of Ukraine is determined by the fact that it is the most active factor in technological progress and expanded reproduction in general.

Growth rates, the level of development and the structure of the industry are important indicators of quantitative and qualitative characteristics of the economy and living standards. Industry is formation, which includes about 20 major industries, nearly 150 sub-industries and more than 300 plants that produce industrial products. Industry – a set of businesses, such as intended products, technological applied, used raw materials. There are different versions of the branch structure. Industry, which is engaged, as noted above, the production of the means of production (machinery, equipment) belong to the group, A and consumer goods (cars, washing machines, consumer goods) to the group B. the level of development of Ukrainian industry engaged in the production of consumer goods, it is not sufficient. It is considered, that there are negative changes in the structure of industry in Ukraine now.

Industry is divided into main sectors: energy, fuel, metallurgy, mechanical engineering and metal working, chemical and petrochemical, timber, woodworking, pulp and paper, construction material industry, light industry, food. Industry located in the country rather unevenly. The highest concentration of it exist in the Donetsk and Lugansk regions, Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhia regions. Donetsk is the industrial center. There are several interrelated metallurgical, construction, chemical and engineering industries. At the level of industrial development, Ukraine takes the second place among CIS countries.

More than 8 thousand industrial associations, factories and enterprises are working in its territory. The main features of Ukrainian industry are:

• branched structure;

• conservative structure with a high proportion of heavy industry and military-industrial complex;

• imperfection of technologies (high waste production, recourse and energy intensity, energy consumption per unit of industrial output by 6-8 times higher than in developed countries).

• Excessive pollution of the environment.

Since 1990 in the economic and industrial complex the decline of production have been continuing due to the general economic crisis; failure of economic reforms and difficult financial situation, high inflation, the collapse of economic relations with the neighboring countries. The worsening economic situation in the country has affected not only on the volume of industrial production, but also on its efficiency.

Very important to the economic stability and growth are structural changes in the Ukrainian industry, the reform of its structures based on advanced development of knowledge-based industries, the production of consumer goods, providing scientific and technical progress in all sectors of the economy, the export and import-substituting industries.