Russia turns to Asian migrant workers to address labour shortage

Russian companies are increasingly hiring workers from Asia to help ease the country's labour shortage, with more than 147,000 work permits issued to foreign nationals in the first half of 2026, nearly one-third more than a year earlier, according to data from Russia's Unified Interdepartmental Information and Statistical System (EMISS).

The EMISS said the sharpest increase was recorded among Chinese citizens, who received 70,400 work permits, up 50% year-on-year, Caliber.Az reports, citing Russian media.

India ranked second with 33,700 permits, while the number of permits issued to citizens of Indonesia and Sri Lanka also increased.

At the same time, permits granted to Vietnamese nationals declined by 10%, while those issued to Turkish citizens fell by 20%.

Only about one-third of all foreign workers are classified as qualified or highly qualified specialists.

In addition, Russia issued 1.1 million work patents to foreign nationals in the first half of 2026, down 21% from the same period last year.

Such patents are issued to citizens of countries with visa-free labour arrangements, including Azerbaijan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan.

Experts say migrant workers are helping to fill labour shortages in construction, logistics, utilities, and manufacturing, but caution that they do not provide a long-term solution. Restrictions on hiring foreign workers and high costs for businesses remain major obstacles.

According to Bloomberg Economics, Russia faces a shortage of about 1.5 million workers. Among the proposed measures to address the deficit are introducing a six-day workweek, increasing the employment of retirees, and boosting labour productivity.

By Bakhtiyar Abbasov