Labor migrants were almost twice as likely as Russians to lose their jobs during the coronavirus pandemic, new research has found.
A survey conducted by conducted by the Russian Presidential Academy of National Economy and Public Administration (RANEPA) says that some 40% of Central Asian labor migrants working in Russia reported that they were permanently laid off during the quarantine period, while 23% of Russians reportedly said the same.
Adding those who kept their jobs, but were put on unpaid leave during Russia’s non-working period — from late March until mid-May — a total of 75% of Central Asian migrants were not working at the height of the pandemic, compared to 48% of Russians.
Amid widespread job losses and the cancellation of most international flights, migrants took to waiting at airports for the chance to get a ticket on a special repatriation flight, or queuing outside embassies in central Moscow for help in finding a way back home.
The survey also revealed that “labor migrants were more aware of the danger of the coronavirus than locals,” and more likely to agree with the government’s policies to contain the spread, despite the high number of job losses.
Migrant workers were reportedly also more likely to seek medical help if they thought they had Covid-19 symptoms — 75% called a doctor, compared to 55% of Russians — and more strongly disagreed with the notion that the coronavirus was no more deadly than a typical winter flu.
