diff --git a/openupgrade_scripts/scripts/hr_recruitment/19.0.1.1/pre-migration.py b/openupgrade_scripts/scripts/hr_recruitment/19.0.1.1/pre-migration.py
index 66caaf34e073..b13460d0398e 100644
--- a/openupgrade_scripts/scripts/hr_recruitment/19.0.1.1/pre-migration.py
+++ b/openupgrade_scripts/scripts/hr_recruitment/19.0.1.1/pre-migration.py
@@ -13,10 +13,20 @@ def hr_candidate2hr_applicant(env):
     """
     openupgrade.merge_models(env.cr, "hr.candidate", "hr.applicant", "candidate_id")
     openupgrade.rename_tables(env.cr, [("hr_candidate", None)])
-    openupgrade.lift_constraints(
-        env.cr, openupgrade.get_legacy_name("hr_candidate"), "id", cascade=True
+    legacy_table = openupgrade.get_legacy_name("hr_candidate")
+    # PostgreSQL >= 17 catalogs NOT NULL as a named constraint and refuses to
+    # drop it while the column is still part of a primary key, even when the
+    # pkey drop is queued in the same ALTER TABLE statement (as
+    # openupgrade.lift_constraints does). Drop the pkey first, on its own, so
+    # the remaining lift_constraints() call only has the not-null constraint
+    # left to lift.
+    env.cr.execute(
+        "alter table {} drop constraint if exists {} cascade".format(
+            legacy_table, legacy_table + "_pkey"
+        )
     )
-    openupgrade.remove_tables_fks(env.cr, [openupgrade.get_legacy_name("hr_candidate")])
+    openupgrade.lift_constraints(env.cr, legacy_table, "id", cascade=True)
+    openupgrade.remove_tables_fks(env.cr, [legacy_table])
 
 
 @openupgrade.migrate()