Russia should increase quotas of foreign employees amid sanctions - Medvedev
MOSCOW. March 18 (Interfax) - Russia should review the maximum quotas of foreign citizens who can be employed in various economic sectors amid foreign sanctions, Russian Security Council Deputy Chairman Dmitry Medvedev said.
"As far as I remember, maximum quotas of foreign employees have been set. However, amid the new sanctions, we should probably revise such norms, develop a system of criteria, and if necessary, envision the training and instruction of Russian personnel where we have to make up for a shortage of foreign workforce," Medvedev said at a meeting of the Russian Security Council interagency commission on adjusting the state migration policy on Friday.
At the same time, "an excess of employees in some sectors cannot always compensate for their shortage in other sectors," he said.
Different economic sectors engage workers with different qualification levels, different professions, and different social expectations, he said.
"Each of these categories also needs extra stimuli and, when necessary, support," he said.
About 90% of the 2.5 million foreigners officially employed in Russia come from countries that formerly were Soviet republics, and generally, they are employed in the construction, retail, repairs sectors, processing industries, and on low-level positions in the consumer services and utilities sectors, he said.
A significant number of migrant workers are employed on unskilled and hard-labor positions, which are considered non-prestigious and low-paid among Russians, he said.
"Therefore, this factor needs to be taken into consideration in assessing the labor market, analyzing the ongoing processes, and reviewing what kind of work people agree to do and what they do not agree to do. This question usually arises in the context of speculation as to who steals jobs from whom," he said.
"There is a need to assess the situation in each particular case and separate real problems from the emotional component," he said.