From there to here: Russia may open training centers for migrants in their homeland
Migrants who plan to enter a construction site in the Russian Federation will be able to receive training in basic disciplines in their homeland, Izvestia has learned. On behalf of Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, the Ministry of Construction evaluates Russia's needs for foreign workers. Officials have asked the regions and businesses for this information. In particular, migrants can be taught language and specialized skills, experts believe. This approach is already being practiced in Uzbekistan, where the Republic of Korea has opened its own center.
How many migrant workers does the country need
The government is discussing the idea of educating migrant workers, who are needed by Russia at the construction site, according to basic educational programs in their homeland, even before arriving in our country. In this regard, at the end of April, Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin instructed the Ministry of Construction to collect statistics on how many employees the industry needs, and the data should be sent to the Ministry of Education. Izvestia reviewed the documents.
Marat Shakirzyanovich Khusnullin
By May 15, the regions must report to the Ministry of Construction on their needs for migrant workers. Business representatives from the National Association of Builders and the National Association of Infrastructure Companies should collect similar information. The government is considering which structure will provide training for migrants and at the expense of which resources.
The Ministry of Construction is systematically working to increase the human resources potential of the industry, the ministry told Izvestia. They recalled that at the end of October last year, the government approved the Concept of personnel training for the construction industry and housing and communal services, which is already being developed through the roadmap. They are aimed at increasing the prestige and demand for professions related to architecture and construction, including vocational guidance. Moreover, officials are working to update professional standards, training areas and educational programs for builders, the ministry added.
The National Association of Builders (NOSTROI) reminded Izvestia that about 11.5 million people are employed in construction and housing and communal services, about 6.8 million people are directly on site and seasonally adjusted, and the shortage of personnel is estimated at about 200,000 workers. By the end of 2024, more than 1 million foreign workers worked in construction, which is 13% of all migrant workers, the association noted.
— The main idea of the initiative, which is being discussed in the Cabinet, is the training of foreign workers in accordance with Russian standards. According to our information, a detailed mechanism for implementing this approach is under development. In the future, this step will help domestic construction companies attract foreigners not only as handymen, but also to use them where specialists with higher qualifications are needed," Anton Glushkov, president of the association, told Izvestia.
The industry is interested in bricklayers, plasterers, finishers, concreters and rebarers. It is for these professions that there is a serious demand from Russian construction companies, he added. Most of the foreigners come to work in Russia from the CIS and EAEU countries, the majority have been from Uzbekistan for many years. Therefore, it would be optimal if officials choose the latter country to launch the government project, Anton Glushkov said.
Subsequently, the project can be expanded to other friendly states.
"For example, we are now seeing a lot of interest from India in working in the Russian market," he said.
Attracting workers from this country will require additional efforts, which may be spent on reviewing the visa regime, as well as organizing language courses, the expert added. According to him, there are already examples of this approach abroad. For example, vocational training centers established with the support of the Republic of Korea are successfully operating in Uzbekistan.
In these centers, people are trained in specialties in demand in the East according to the standards of the customer, Anton Glushkov emphasized. The association did not specify exactly how this center works or who finances it. The center's website says that citizens will be able to learn Korean and take the necessary exam in it. Moreover, the center provides an opportunity to get to know the local culture more closely.
Izvestia sent inquiries to the office of Deputy Prime Minister Marat Khusnullin, the Ministry of Education, as well as to the regions with a request to assess their needs for migrant workers.
The administration of the Samara region reminded that migrants must know Russian, history and the basics of Russian legislation if they apply for a work permit in the Russian Federation, according to current regulations.
Where do people come from to work in Russia
It is difficult to assess Russia's overall need for migrant workers, as the economic situation is changing quite actively, Vadim Kozhenov, head of the Migrant Assistance Center, told Izvestia. Currently, workers from any country can come to Russia, depending on the country of origin, Russia has different licensing rules for cooperation with domestic companies, he recalled.
So, for example, if a person arrives from the EAEU, then he can work here without special documents, and if from the CIS countries, he will need a work patent. Plus, citizens from "visa-free" countries can come to us, although we are talking about a limited flow: there is an annual quota of 150-200 thousand migrant workers. Most people come to Russia from the CIS countries, the largest donor is Uzbekistan, although the flow from there is gradually decreasing: in recent years, the number of citizens from this country has decreased from 2.5 million to 1.7 million people.
— Of course, additional education for foreigners will make it possible to better prepare people for work in Russia, because at home the basic needs of people will be covered and new skills will be easier to acquire. In Russia, migrants often work 12 hours six days a week, which effectively prevents them from studying. First of all, people need the Russian language," Vadim Kozhenov emphasized.
But it should be taken into account that if such an approach is implemented, a big question arises — how will the project to train people in their homeland be funded, its success and effectiveness depend on it, he added.
Indeed, there is a serious shortage of workers in the urban development industry, although so far the regions have not assessed their needs for migrants at the construction site and in the housing and communal services system, Svetlana Razvorotneva, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Construction and Housing, told Izvestia. According to her, the shortage of personnel arose for several serious reasons at once.
— First of all, it is the lack of qualifications of those foreign employees who are currently available on the market. Plus, people often come to work at a construction site, but then move to other sectors, for example, they start working as couriers. Moreover, countries that are traditionally considered suppliers of migrant workers are launching effective economic reforms on their territory that make living in their home country as attractive as possible. For example, we are already recording the outflow of workers to Russia from Uzbekistan, and recently it has been more profitable for its citizens to develop at home," she said.
How to solve the problems that have arisen
The situation has worsened against the background of the strengthening of the ruble, which has made work in the Russian Federation less attractive due to reduced salaries in foreign denominations, Svetlana Razvorotneva noted. Not to mention that construction in Russia is developing quite dynamically every year and shows good results in the commissioning of new areas.
Therefore, it is difficult to cover the need for foreign employees at the moment — at least it is necessary to further increase labor productivity by increasing their qualifications, the expert noted. As a maximum, the problem should be approached comprehensively: for example, an employer should be responsible for its employees, including providing employees with acceptable housing, that is, a dormitory that meets the established sanitary standards, she added.
Up to 2 million labor migrants come to Russia annually, mostly citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, Nikolai Kurdyumov, head of the Labor Migration Commission of the CCI Council, told Izvestia. Despite the impressive number of people arriving, the construction industry is really short of staff. The fact is that now an employee who comes to Russia from another country is not required to work for a certain time with the company that hired him and provided him with the relocation.
— Therefore, in practice, it turns out that the employer is wasting his resource: he hires a person, registers his future employee from another country, but loses him very quickly. People are actively moving to other industries where salaries are higher, for example, migrants are becoming couriers," the expert said.
In this regard, first of all, it is necessary to adjust the legislation that will oblige migrants to serve their time in the company that brought them. Then the employee's training in his homeland will be a serious step towards solving the personnel issue. Currently, employees from CIS countries, as a rule, do not know Russian or speak it poorly and do not have the necessary qualifications for domestic companies.
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