Labor-starved Russia now hiring workers in Myanmar
Several Russian regions struggling with severe labor shortages are now recruiting migrant workers from Myanmar—one of the world’s poorest nations, independent Russian outlet The Moscow Times reported on March 10.
Recruitment firm Intrud said 24 welders have already arrived in Primorsky Krai and been hired, with another 30 expected in the coming months. All completed Russian language courses back in Myanmar.
Workers from Myanmar have also been recruited for construction jobs in Russia’s Amur Oblast.
“We needed welders, installers, and concreters,” said the chief executive of a local construction company.
“Naturally, we looked first at the quality of their work—they almost match our own specialists in this field.”
Last week, Maxim Reshetnikov, head of Russia’s Economic Development Ministry, urged lawmakers to tackle the labor shortage by passing legislation to attract migrant workers, including those from Myanmar. He noted that the Southeast Asian nation has a population of about 55 million, with roughly 6 million citizens working abroad.
“The labor shortage in Russia worsened after the full-scale war against Ukraine began in 2022,” the article reads.
“In the first year of hostilities, 300,000 able-bodied men went to the front, while between 650,000 and 1.1 million Russians fled mobilization and the war. Over the following two years, around 700,000 people signed [military service] contracts with the Ministry of Defense.”
In February, Russia’s central bank significantly raised its inflation forecast (from 4.5-5% to 7-8%) and maintained its record key interest rate at 21%.
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