Indians in Russia: Due to the ongoing war with Ukraine, there is a shortage of workers in Russia and many of its sectors are in need of workers. Till now, citizens of Central Asian countries used to come here to work. But now Russian companies are turning their attention towards India and are showing priority in hiring workers from here. Russia needs 1.10 crore workers by the end of this decade. Due to the aging population, it will have to hire from abroad to meet this number.

President Vladimir Putin When I came to India in December, there was discussion on temporary labor migration of Indian workers. Making it easier for them to go to Russia was also discussed. An agreement was also signed regarding this. Even before this agreement, the number of work permits given to Indians in Russia had increased. Last year, 56 thousand Indians got work permits, whereas in 2021 the same number was 5 thousand. At present, most workers are coming to Russia from India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and China.

Why does Russia want to give jobs to Indians?

Till now, workers from South Asian countries including India used to do snow removal work in big cities. But now they are also working in fields like construction, restaurant etc. Now they are reaching even far-flung cities for jobs. According to Bloomberg report, moscow “We are seeing a big change in the Russian job market,” said Elena Velaeva, operations director at Intrud, a U.S.-based recruitment agency. This recruitment agency was established two years ago and is now hiring from India.

Velaeva said that Russian companies are now foreign workers They are showing interest in providing jobs to those who are bound by visa and contract conditions. He says that workers coming from Central Asian countries take advantage of the visa free facility, due to which they can easily change jobs here. The advantage of hiring Indians is that they are bound by visa conditions and can work only for the company that sponsors them.

Programs being run to provide jobs

Elena Velyaeva said that Intrud has partnered with the Russian Welders Association to set up a training center for welders in Chennai, South India, where people are trained and evaluated before being hired in Russia. Other agencies have launched Russian language short-term crash courses for foreign workers coming to work in hotels and other positions. Learning the language makes it easier for them to get jobs in Russia.

Amit Saxena, director of Mumbai-based Ambe International, said, ‘Russia is the newest name in the list of countries which are providing employment to Indians. There is currently a shortage of workers in Russia. That’s why it needs Indian workers. Ambe International started recruiting Indian workers for Russia about three months ago and that too only for the Moscow region. But it is now also hiring in Russia’s Far East – Vladivostok and Sakhalin Island.