Page 109 - RusRPTAug24

Labour shortages are widespread. The defence sector is short of about 160,000 specialists, according to deputy prime minister Denis Manturov, despite half a million people moving from civilian jobs to defence-related ones in the last year and a half. Russia’s labour ministry forecasts a shortage of 2.4mn workers by 2030.
Regional governments, which are expected to recruit as many volunteers as they can, have significantly raised bonuses paid out to newly recruited contract soldiers over the past months (in some regions these are over 1 million rubles). The government of Tatarstan now pays a 100,000 ruble ($1,140) bonus to anyone who also “brings a friend” to the recruitment office. Russia’s large military losses and the political risk of a new round of military mobilization compel the Russian government to maintain this pace of recruitment (and spending).
The employment rate (which includes workers in war-related industries) in Russia’s federal districts. Districts that were already relatively more affluent, like the Central and Northwest districts, saw only very small increases in employment. On the other hand, Ural and the Far East experienced much larger employment increases for reasons outlined above. These regional developments reflect higher public spending post-invasion. For many households in Russia’s regions, the war and the spending increases associated with it have resulted in higher employment and income levels.
109 RUSSIA Country Report August 2024 www.intellinews.com