According to the results from the first quarter of 2023, the average monthly earnings for couriers in Russia rose to about 55 thousand rubles. The industry, however, faces ongoing staffing shortages driven in part by a decline in labor migration flows. This understanding comes from Kommersant, referencing the Salary Index and input from market participants.
The quarterly data show that the average courier salary hovered around 55 thousand rubles. In Moscow, the average climbs to roughly 60.4 thousand rubles, though a real salary uplift has slowed in the capital. In contrast, Siberia posted the strongest year‑on‑year increase for couriers, with earnings reaching about 55.7 thousand rubles per month, an increase of roughly 13 percent.
Market participants emphasize that the personnel gap is most acute in major cities. Yet, some regions have already seen salaries that exceed those in Moscow for courier work. For instance, last June saw a 39 percent rise in payments for completed deliveries in Novosibirsk compared with the prior year.
Analysts note that from January to May 2023, the number of open courier positions grew by only around 33 percent, far below the previous year’s 113 percent growth. This slower expansion mirrors a broader pattern across industries, where labor surpluses are not common. Analysts also warn that tougher competition in the construction sector and further reductions in labor migration could intensify courier shortages as the year progresses.
A Zarplata.ru survey conducted on June 8 indicated that 15 percent of students who participated planned to work as couriers in the summer, 11 percent as waiters, 8 percent as promoters or sellers, and 7 percent as goods pickers. These insights highlight how seasonal demand and student labor participation influence the courier market.
Earlier market observers estimated that the overall earnings level for couriers and shippers rose by about 10 percent in 2022, a trend cited to contextualize the 2023 dynamics and the evolving wage structure across regions.
Cited data originate from the Salary Index and market participants, with additional commentary from industry observers and analysts who track wage movements and staffing trends across Russian regions. These voices collectively help map how compensation changes intersect with regional supply, migration patterns, and economic activity in logistics and last‑mile delivery.