Russia’s Migrant Labor

Fascinating piece from Bloomberg about Russia’s use of migrant labor: “The reality in Russia is that the immigrant economy is very much part of its recovery from a prolonged recession. And the government knows it.”

Some 15% of Russia’s workforce is made up of migrant laborers. Their work is varied.

Immigrants clean city streets and maintain huge residential buildings that dot the skyline. They play a key role in manufacturing, retail, and service sectors as well. In the restaurant industry, kitchen staff from countries like Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, and Georgia stay for years, sending most of their money home.

Those remittances have a big impact on the economies of sending countries.

The article even has some details on Russia’s immigration law. (I love it when journalists include the law!)

In 2010, work permits were introduced in response to a surge in migration. These days, a monthly permit requires a language test and costs $70—more than 4,000 rubles—a significant amount for immigrant workers who make, on average, $400 a month. Around 1.73 million permits were issued in 2015, according to the government.

Not everyone needs a permit, though. Workers from Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Armenia have been exempt since those countries joined a customs union that Russia formed in 2010.

-KitJ