October 16, 2024

Where Are All the Workers?


Where Are All the Workers?
Foreign workers in Moscow. Photobank Moscow-live, Flickr.

More than 50 percent of Russian companies that hire migrant workers report a labor shortage, according to a survey by recruiting service hh.ru and the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, as reported by Kommersant.

The survey found that 53 percent of companies are struggling to find foreign specialists, while 46 percent are “somewhat satisfied” with the current number of migrant workers.

Among the surveyed companies, 56 percent said the main issue is a lack of qualified specialists in the labor market. Additionally, 38 percent of respondents noted that migrants applying for jobs either cannot pass or do not have time to take the mandatory Russian language exam.

About 20 percent of companies cited government restrictions on the use of foreign workers as a significant hurdle. A similar percentage mentioned that bans on employing migrants for certain specialties are causing difficulties. As a result, employers are increasingly looking to recruit specialists from more distant countries, Kommersant reported.

However, 45 percent of companies said they are having trouble attracting workers from Asian countries due to a lack of qualified candidates. Another 36 percent reported difficulties related to working with diasporas and posting job vacancies. Language barriers are also an issue, with 45 percent of respondents noting communication challenges. Meanwhile, half of the companies that hire workers from African countries said they face issues obtaining work permits, submitting quota requests, finding suitable workers, managing job postings, and communication with diasporas.

The increased interest in workers from distant countries is seen as an attempt to offset a decline in migration from traditional source countries like those in Central Asia. The flow of migrant labor to Russia has not returned to pre-pandemic levels. In 2023, the number of foreign labor migrants in Russia was about 3.5 million — nearly 1 million fewer than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Reduction in migration comes as Russia ramps up its efforts to regulate foreign workers, following a terrorist attack at Crocus City Hall near Moscow. In response, officials and lawmakers have introduced bills aimed at tightening regulations on foreign nationals in the country. These proposals include stricter penalties for document forgery related to illegal migration and a bill that would consider foreign citizenship and illegal residence as aggravating factors in criminal cases.

Regulations are being introduced at both the federal and regional levels. In Moscow Oblast, starting January 1 of next year, foreign workers will be banned from jobs in the alcohol and tobacco trade, street food sales in non-stationary facilities, social services, sports, culture, leisure, healthcare, and education. In Primorsky Krai, authorities are considering prohibiting foreign workers in 41 sectors, including transportation and education.

You Might Also Like

More Money for Penal Colonies
  • October 07, 2024

More Money for Penal Colonies

Russian authorities have sharply increased the budget for the Federal Penitentiary Service, despite previous plans to cut it.
Russians Head East
  • September 29, 2024

Russians Head East

Russians are flocking to the Far East in growing numbers.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

Steppe
July 15, 2022

Steppe

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

Fearful Majesty
July 01, 2014

Fearful Majesty

This acclaimed biography of one of Russia’s most important and tyrannical rulers is not only a rich, readable biography, it is also surprisingly timely, revealing how many of the issues Russia faces today have their roots in Ivan’s reign.

Murder at the Dacha
July 01, 2013

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.

Driving Down Russia's Spine
June 01, 2016

Driving Down Russia's Spine

The story of the epic Spine of Russia trip, intertwining fascinating subject profiles with digressions into historical and cultural themes relevant to understanding modern Russia. 

The Latchkey Murders
July 01, 2015

The Latchkey Murders

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin is back on the case in this prequel to the popular mystery Murder at the Dacha, in which a serial killer is on the loose in Khrushchev’s Moscow...

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices
May 01, 2013

Stargorod: A Novel in Many Voices

Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955