Russia may ban migrants from freely entering the country and suggest use of a more "civilized model" for attracting foreign workers, Anton Kotyakov, the Minister of Labor and Social Protection of the Russian Federation, told Vedomosti in an interview.
According to Kotyakov, it is necessary to build a civilized model for utilizing foreign labor, and currently, the Ministry of Labor, together with the Ministry of Internal Affairs, is developing options for creating this new system.
“Free movement, free entry into the country, followed by a long search for an employer with unclear employment conditions — this is wrong,” Kotyakov believes.
The current model reportedly poses certain risks for businesses. Even though employers bear the costs of training migrants and conducting medical examinations, they do not receive guarantees that the employee will fulfill the agreements and not leave for another job, Kotyakov explained.
The service sector is drawing migrants away from industries such as construction and manufacturing, he pointed out.
The minister suggested that the "civilized model" would be based on the principle of organized recruitment. In this case, training, medical examinations, and document preparation would take place in the migrant’s home country.
In this scenario, the employer would receive guarantees and continue to bear responsibility for the employees brought in from abroad.
“There should be transparent and clear financial rules between the future worker and the employer. For example, if a company bears the costs, the worker should have obligations to repay this amount in case of leaving,” Kotyakov said.
The Russian labor minister emphasized that organized recruitment would focus on skilled workers. However, workers with lower qualifications will still be allowed into the country, as there is still a demand for them from employers.
According to surveys by the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs and hh.ru, more than 50% of companies in Russia that hire migrants are experiencing a shortage of foreign workers.
The biggest issue for employers is the lack of people on the labor market with the necessary skills.
At the same time, just under 20% of those surveyed complained about restrictions imposed by authorities on the use of migrant labor.
