Russia experiencing serious labour shortage, up to 4.8 mln people – British intelligence
Russia is currently experiencing a labour shortage, which is becoming a serious problem in some industries, the UK Ministry of Defense said, citing intelligence data.
"According to estimates by the independent Russian media outlet Izvestia Russia had a 4.8 million shortage of workers in 2023. As an example, the Russian transport and logistics industry was unable to fill 25% of its truck driver vacancies during 2023. The labour shortage has at least in part been caused by Russia's war in Ukraine, which has led to mobilization of parts of the working population and emigration by some skilled professionals seeking to avoid the call-up," the ministry said on the X social media.
In addition, the ministry notes, most recently, labour shortages have been exacerbated by restrictions on the employment of migrants introduced after the ISIS-K terrorist incident in Moscow on March 22, 2024.
"As a result of the labour shortage, a group of Russian parliamentarians are looking at possible amendments to the Russian labour code. If enacted, it would mean that excess labour force could be moved, under state supervision to a place of work which lacks sufficient labour. The moves will be temporary and workers will only be transferred with their consent. However, although not coercive, it is a potential move towards the mobilisation of labour," the ministry said.