Russia lacks millions of workers
Many Russians have turned their backs on their country and emigrated. Often because they are afraid of being conscripted as cannon fodder for the Kremlin army. This is a major problem for the domestic labor market, as a study has now revealed.
There was a shortage of around 4.8 million workers in Russia this year. An acute labor shortage is also expected in the coming year, the newspaper "Izvestia" reported, citing experts and the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The author of the study, Nikolai Achapkin, was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the labor shortage would increase significantly in 2022 and 2023. Drivers and store workers are particularly in demand.
According to the data cited by "Izvestia", the number of vacancies in relation to the total number of workers rose to 6.8 percent by mid-2023 compared to 5.8 percent in the previous year. According to Labor Minister Anton Kotjakow, there is a shortage of workers in the manufacturing, construction and transport sectors in particular. Companies are being forced to increase wages in order to attract more employees.
According to the newspaper, expert Tatyana Zakharova from the University of Economics assumes that the labor shortage will probably continue next year, as vacancies for factory workers, engineers, doctors, teachers and other professions will be particularly difficult to fill.
Economic growth under threat
Among the reasons for the labor shortage, she cited population growth and emigration. The governor of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, warned last month that the labor shortage was threatening economic growth.
Hundreds of thousands of Russians, including highly qualified IT specialists, left their country after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Many fled because they rejected the war or feared being drafted. The exodus increased after President Vladimir Putin announced a partial mobilization of around 300,000 recruits in September 2022.
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The attack on Ukraine and subsequent tensions with the West have contributed to a massive exodus of Russians, including skilled IT professionals, who are afraid of being conscripted or oppose the conflict. This has exacerbated Russia's existing labor shortage, with experts predicting that the deficit will continue to increase, particularly in sectors like manufacturing, construction, and transport. Due to this, President Vladimir Putin's government faces challenges in maintaining economic growth, as companies struggle to attract sufficient workers and are forced to offer higher wages.
Source: www.ntv.de
