In recent months, labourers from India and other South Asian countries have begun taking municipal jobs, including snow removal in major cities. Foreign workers are also increasingly visible at construction sites, restaurants and in urban service roles
Russia is widening its recruitment of foreign workers as the country faces a deepening labour shortage driven by demographic decline and the war in Ukraine.
The government estimates that Russia will need an additional 11 million workers by the end of the decade to sustain its economy.
In recent months, labourers from
India and other South Asian countries have begun taking municipal jobs, including snow removal in major cities. Foreign workers are also increasingly visible at construction sites, restaurants and in urban service roles.
Economy drives up labour shortage
The labour crunch comes as Russia faces a prolonged demographic crisis. Since a sharp drop in birth rates following the 1990s economic collapse, the population has steadily aged. Today, roughly a quarter of Russians are of retirement age.
With unemployment hovering near 2 per cent, among the lowest levels globally, businesses are struggling to find staff, raising concerns that labour constraints could further dampen already sluggish economic growth.
While the United States under President Donald Trump and several European countries have tightened immigration policies, Russia is moving in the opposite direction, seeking to attract more foreign workers.
Companies are particularly interested in migrants tied to specific jobs through visas and contracts, as workers from visa-free Central Asian countries are more likely to switch employers frequently.
War worsens labour crisis
The war in Ukraine has exacerbated the shortage. In addition to those mobilised for combat, the expanding defence sector has drawn workers away from civilian industries. At the same time, an estimated 500,000 to 800,000 working-age Russians have left the country since the invasion, citing opposition to the war, fears of mobilization or other reasons.
Major corporations are feeling the strain. MMC Norilsk Nickel PJSC, the country’s largest mining company and one of its highest-paying employers, was short about 10,000 employees in Siberia last year, roughly 10 per cent of its workforce. According to a report by Bloomberg, the company still lacks several thousand workers in the region.
JSC Shipbuilding Corporation Ak Bars, which produces both civilian and military vessels, is short of 1,500 and 2,000 employees. Chief Executive Renat Mistakhov said the labour gap has reduced operations to about half of capacity.
Russia looks the other way
Russia is also looking to deepen labour cooperation with North Korea. Arrivals from the country have increased since 2022, reversing a decline that followed a 2017 United Nations ban on employing North Korean citizens abroad.
Many North Koreans enter Russia on student visas. According to the Foreign Ministry, about 9,000 arrived in 2024, the most recent year for which data is available. Meanwhile, the developer group Eskadra told RIA Novosti that the number of North Korean workers on Russian construction sites could reach 50,000 by the end of 2025.
As the war drags on and demographic pressures intensify, Russia’s widening search for foreign labour underscores the scale of its economic challenge. Without a significant influx of workers, analysts warn, the country risks hitting hard limits on growth in the years ahead.
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