Russia looks to hire more workers from India amid labour shortage
New Delhi, Jan 26
As Russia looks to hire more workers from India to meet labour shortage in the country, a new report has said that at least 40,000 Indian citizens are expected to come to Russia as workers this year.
The report in www.dw.com says that between 70,000-80,000 Indian citizens were already working in Russia at the end of last year.
In December last year, India and Russia signed two agreements to boost the mobility of Indian semi-skilled and skilled workers to Russia. These are "Temporary Labour Activity of Citizens of one State in the Territory of the other State" and "Cooperation in Combating Irregular Migration".
The mobility pacts will also provide a framework for employment of Indian workers in Russia and ensure that they do not face difficulties met by Indians who faced various frauds in the recent past.
Recent reports of a young Indian software professional working on the streets of Russia also drew public attention. He was among 17 Indian workers who arrived in St. Petersburg several months ago to address labour shortages in municipal road maintenance.
The workers were reportedly recruited by a Russian road-maintenance firm, Kolomyazhskoye, and relocated to the city for street-cleaning and winter road maintenance duties, according to the report by Russia's app-based media platform Fontanka.
Labour shortages in parts of Russia have reportedly increased demand for migrant workers in manual and municipal services.
Meanwhile, Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal also highlighted recently the strength of India's entrepreneurial ecosystem, pointing out that India has developed the world's third-largest startup ecosystem.
The minister said that India's young, skilled and committed workforce can help meet Russia's projected shortfall of three million skilled professionals.
There is a reported demand for at least 5,00,000 semi-skilled workers in Russia, which is one of the factors that is propelling Moscow to reach out to friendly countries.
— IANS
Reader Comments
While opportunities abroad are good, we must be very careful. The report mentions past frauds and a software engineer cleaning streets! The government must have a strong monitoring mechanism. Our people shouldn't be exploited.
Russia is a friendly country and this strengthens our strategic partnership. Sending skilled workers is better than sending raw materials. It's a win-win. But please, ensure these are proper jobs, not manual labour for graduates.
Interesting development. The labour shortage in Russia post-Ukraine conflict is well-known. If the pacts ensure proper visas, contracts, and grievance redressal, it could be a stable option for many seeking international experience.
Half a million semi-skilled jobs? That's huge. This could be a boon for our ITI graduates and diploma holders. Remittances will also boost our forex. Hope the Russian winter doesn't come as a shock though! ❄️
I have a respectful criticism. Minister Goyal talks about our great startup ecosystem, but then we are sending our talent to fill labour shortages abroad. Shouldn't we focus more on creating high-quality jobs here first? Just a thought.
The "Cooperation in Combating
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