The economist explained the procedure for indexing salaries of state employees in 2026

Starting from January 1, 2026, salaries of some public sector workers in Russia will be indexed by 7.6%. This was stated by Galina Sorokina, Director of the Institute of Economics and Finance of the State University of Management.

According to the expert, the increase will affect the so—called specified categories of employees - teachers, doctors, nursing staff, social services, science and culture.

"Public sector employees — teachers, health workers, social services and cultural workers - will receive this increase from January 1, 2026. This division of indexing time reduces the burden not only on the budget, but also on the Treasury," Sorokina explained.

The economist recalled that the obligation to index wages is fixed in Article 134 of the Labor Code of the Russian Federation, however, for state employees, the mechanism and timing of the increase are set by separate regulations. In particular, starting from October 1, 2025, the salaries of military personnel, as well as salaries of federal civil servants and employees of federal institutions, have already been indexed by 7.6%.

At the same time, as Sorokina noted, the indexation of 7.6% is unlikely to fully compensate for the price increase. The expected annual inflation as of October 2025 is about 6.5–7.0%, while the average wage in the economy has increased by about 15% in nine months.

"Against this background, the indexation of state employees does not allow them to close the gap with the non-budgetary sector. This is especially noticeable in education, healthcare and culture, where salaries are still significantly below the Russian average," the expert emphasized.

According to her, without faster income growth in the social sphere, the problem of personnel shortages in education and medicine will persist in 2026.

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