Russia is currently experiencing a labour shortage that is becoming a significant problem in some sectors. According to estimates by russian media outlet Izvestia, russia had a 4.8 million shortage of workers in 2023. As an example, russian transport and logistics industry was unable to fill 25% of its truck driver vacancies during 2023, according to the UK Defense Intelligence.
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. More recently, the labour shortage has been exacerbated by restrictions on migrant employment implemented following the March 22, 2024 ISIS-K terrorist incident in Moscow.
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As a result of the labour shortages, 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 mobilization of labour.
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