The labor shortage in Russia has intensified markedly during 2022 and 2023, with the year-end tally showing roughly 4.8 million workers needed to fill vacancies. This figure appears in a study conducted by Nikolai Akhapkin, a researcher at the Institute of Economics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, and published in the institute’s bulletin News. The finding reflects a broader concern across industries about finding suitable personnel to sustain production, services, and economic activity during a period of demographic and structural shifts.
Using Rosstat data as its backbone, Akhapkin highlighted that by mid-2023 the share of payrolls occupied by positions requiring recruitment stood at 6.8 percent, up from about 5.8 percent in 2022. This trend indicates a widening gap between labor demand and the available supply, with repercussions for companies trying to maintain output while navigating a tightening job market and rising wage pressures.
When these Rosstat figures are projected across the entire working population, the implication is that the labor shortage in 2023 could affect around 4.8 million workers. This projection underscores the scale of the challenge and its potential to influence regional development, industry competitiveness, and the pace of investment in sectors that rely heavily on skilled and semi-skilled labor.
Alexander Veterkov, who oversees operations at the Part Time service, conveyed to the publication that an estimated 91 percent of companies within the Russian Federation report experiencing staff shortages. He noted a pronounced demand for roles such as sales personnel, machine operators, drivers, and skilled tradespeople including turners and welders, suggesting that the skew in demand favors positions with technical specialization and direct customer interaction.
The most acute shortages have been reported in manufacturing, construction, and transportation. As a consequence, firms are increasingly turning to temporary labor arrangements and accepting higher payroll costs to keep critical functions running. The document emphasizes how staffing gaps translate into higher overheads and potential bottlenecks in project timelines, product delivery, and service levels across the economy.
In December reports from the Novosibirsk region indicated that construction authorities plan to recruit 2,000 workers from North Korea to address localized shortages. This development illustrates how regions are seeking cross-border labor inflows to bridge gaps in skilled labor, while also highlighting the broader policy and logistical questions surrounding immigration, training, and integration in the domestic labor market.
Earlier analyses from the Health, Safety, and Environment (HSE) field suggested that Russia may require between 390,000 and 1.1 million immigrants annually to stabilize population dynamics and maintain economic activity. The wide range reflects uncertainties around demographic trends, fertility rates, retirement patterns, and the ability of domestic supply chains to adapt to labor-demand fluctuations without compromising productivity or safety standards.