Why the recruitment of labor migrants is not working – experts’ opinion

According to Russian statistics, more than 545,000 citizens of Tajikistan entered the territory of the Russian Federation to work in the first quarter of 2024 alone. Of these, only 20,000 came through organized recruitment – this is 3.6% of the total number.

Who conducts organized recruitment?

The draft decree of the President of the Russian Federation “On the creation of a public law company ‘Work in Russia'” was prepared by the Ministry of Labor of Russia back in April 2024. The company “will conclude agreements with employers conducting organized recruitment of migrants, maintain a register of such employers, and conduct targeted employee selection based on the needs of Russian employers,” – TASS reported citing the Ministry of Labor.

In Tajikistan, organized recruitment is carried out jointly with the company “Work in Russia” by the Agency for Employment Abroad. “Through the personal account of the agency, opened on the portal ‘Work in Russia’, we can preliminarily check Russian employers for the presence or absence of violations of the law,” specialists from the Tajik Agency explained.

The Agency for Employment Abroad under the Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population employed about 6,500 citizens of Tajikistan through organized recruitment in 2023. Of these, 77%, or about 5,000 labor migrants, went to Russia. According to the Ministry of Labor, over 100 companies from Russia have submitted applications to hire more than 20,000 workers from the republic.

“Helpers” are not needed by anyone

Organized recruitment involves inviting qualified workers. If a candidate does not have the appropriate professional skills, they are not hired. Unskilled workers who hope to perform auxiliary tasks are not needed by anyone.

According to the agreements reached, Tajikistan is strengthening its efforts to prepare migrants by facilitating the acquisition of vocational skills. The State Institution “Adult Education Center of Tajikistan” trains in more than 100 professions, and new specialties are added annually. In addition, there are pre-departure training centers for migrants, where specialists in demand in the labor market are prepared.

As previously reported by “Asia-Plus,” Deputy Minister of Labor Shahnosa Nodiri stated that Russia remains one of the priority countries for Tajik labor. According to her, properly organized recruitment provides more benefits for migrants. In addition to guaranteed employment with stable earnings, it also offers a higher level of social and legal protection.

How to help a migrant at home?

The President of the International Alliance of Labor Migration, Nikolai Kurdyumov, notes that “the system of organized recruitment is developing slowly because the agreement is of a framework nature and does not create special conditions for those migrants who participate in it.” “And since there is a practice of informal employment, it is difficult to expect that the system will restructure itself. There are many interested structures and individuals both here and in the countries of departure, who benefit from shadow employment. We need to fight this and bring employers and migrants out of this sphere,” he says.

According to the expert, migrants do not yet fully trust organized recruitment. “After all, we are not very helpful in finding decent jobs and affordable housing. We need to be their helpers back home. And then, after their arrival here, accompany these processes, help them solve problems, including cultural adaptation,” Kurdyumov noted.

Deputies Complicate the Process of Organized Recruitment 

In March of this year, a bill was introduced that requires migrants who arrived through organized recruitment to leave the Russian Federation if they work outside their designated field. In case of refusal, for example, to work in construction instead of as couriers, they will have to leave Russia within 15 days. State Duma Deputy Yaroslav Nilov emphasized the need to develop migration policy focusing on the principle of “labor migration on demand.” Another deputy, Nikolai Arefyev, proposed replacing the patent system with an “organized recruitment” institution from employers.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Pyotr Tolstoy, supporting this idea, suggested limiting the stay of low-skilled labor migrants, denying them the right to obtain residence permits and Russian citizenship, prohibiting entry into the Russian Federation for their family members, and restricting their freedom of movement within the country. Who would agree to such voluntary slavery, especially since this bill has been dubbed “serfdom for migrants” in Russia?

The Main Thing – Earnings 

In Russia, some officials and public figures criticize migrants for not wanting to work in the sectors they are invited to, but instead going where the pay is higher. For example, currently, most migrants from Tajikistan are working as taxi drivers, couriers, and doing private apartment repairs, and are not going into agriculture, utilities, or factories, where employers are actively inviting them.

The fact is that in other sectors, one can earn more than at enterprises that have ordered workers through the organized recruitment system. According to experts, it is the significant wage difference between organized and spontaneous migrants that leads to the choice of the latter option.

“An Airplane That Will Not Take Off”

The existing system of organizational recruitment is not working because it is not beneficial for either employers or migrants. From the employers’ perspective, this system brings additional legal and financial problems without providing any special advantages in return. Companies hiring migrants lose the main advantage – the ability to save on labor costs. 

It is easier for migrants to find work through relatives and acquaintances who are already in Russia. This system ultimately proves to be more effective than searching for jobs through official channels. Unofficial payment allows employers and migrants to avoid paying taxes, thereby reducing their costs. When this is advantageous for both parties, it will be difficult to replace this established system with organizational recruitment.

Russian migration expert Vadim Kozhenov says: “No one is coming through organizational recruitment because it does not work and will not work. Organizational recruitment is a complex mechanism that does not exist. Until we determine how we will create this mechanism and at whose expense, it will not work. I have been a consistent critic of organizational recruitment for eight years; I believe it is an airplane that will not take off.”

For it to take off, a new approach is needed that takes into account all the aforementioned points. Who will be responsible for this?