Russia plans to import 1M Indian workers this year
What's the story
Russia is planning to import up to one million workers from India by the end of this year. The move is aimed at addressing labor shortages in industrialized regions such as Sverdlovsk. Andrey Besedin, head of the Ural Chamber of Commerce and Industry, confirmed this development. A new consulate general will be opened in Yekaterinburg to oversee these matters.
Workforce replenishment
Indian workers to help address workforce shortage
Besedin emphasized that the influx of Indian workers would help address the workforce shortage in Sverdlovsk. The region, which includes Yekaterinburg as its capital, is located in the Ural mountains and hosts Russian heavy industry and military-industrial complex. Besedin highlighted that industrial enterprises were looking to boost production volumes but were struggling with a shortage of skilled workers due to various reasons, including deployment in Ukraine's military operation.
Labor crisis
Russia's projected workforce shortage by 2030
The Russian Ministry of Labor has projected a workforce shortage of around 3.1 million people by 2030. To combat this, it has proposed increasing the quota for qualified foreign workers this year by 1.5 times to 0.23 million people. The ministry estimates that Russian industrial enterprises attracted roughly 47,000 qualified migrants from non-Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries in 2024.