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- Gender surprise: for the first time in five years, women began to find work faster than men
Gender surprise: for the first time in five years, women began to find work faster than men
In 2025, women began to find work faster than men: on average, they needed five months and three days — four days less, Izvestia calculated according to Rosstat. For the first time in five years, it took the girls less time. A similar bias was last observed only in the 2020 pandemic, when the massive shift to remote care and the demand for nurses temporarily offset gender differences. Employers are usually more willing to hire men because of the risk of maternity leave from women, but now the situation has changed: staff shortages and limited opportunities for companies to raise salaries have made women more in demand. Why men still earn more and who in Russia finds it more difficult to get a job — in the Izvestia article.
How long does it take to find a job
As of June 2025, for the first time in five years, women began to find work faster than men: on average, it took five months and three days - four days less than the latter. A year earlier, the gap was reversed: women were employed after about six months, while men were employed after five, Izvestia calculated, according to Rosstat. The editorial board sent a request to the Ministry of Labor.
The last time women outperformed men in terms of employment was in 2020, during the pandemic. At that time, the massive switch to remote work offset the gender preferences of employers, explained Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global. In addition, the demand for medical staff who took care of patients has increased, and these are usually girls, added Yulia Dolzhenkova, a professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation.
Now the trend change is explained by several factors at once. Firstly, there is a shortage of personnel: employers who previously avoided hiring women, fearing that they would soon go on maternity leave, are now forced to move away from stereotypes, Yulia Dolzhenkova noted. Secondly, female employees are more likely to accept a lower salary for the sake of a convenient schedule and the opportunity to combine work with family.
— Women find a compromise with employers faster. Companies are striving to reduce staff costs in conditions of limited opportunities to raise salaries," said Farida Mirzabalayeva, Associate Professor of the Department of Human Resource Management at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics.
At the same time, women are more often employed in low—income industries such as social services, culture, education, healthcare, trade, and the hospitality industry, where there is high turnover and a shortage of specialists. In addition, areas where women's work is particularly in demand are developing, such as light industry and tourism, Yulia Dolzhenkova explained.
This year, according to recruiters, women are most likely to be hired in marketing, cosmetology, design, culture and art, Natalia Milchakova shared. The demand for them is also growing in the IT sector, where the shortage of personnel has turned out to be stronger than gender barriers.
At the same time, there remains a significant salary gap, added Viktor Lyashok, senior researcher at the INSAP Center of the IPEI Presidential Academy. According to the latest available data, men earned an average of 27% more in 2023. Now the difference could increase even more due to the growing shortage of personnel in areas where men are mainly employed, for example, in the defense industry.
Who has been looking for a job in Russia for the longest time
In general, as of June 2025, the average time to find a job in Russia was just over five months, according to Rosstat data. Over the past ten years, this figure has decreased by about two months, Izvestia estimates.
The reduction in job search time is largely due to import substitution, which has stimulated the development of a number of industries and the emergence of new jobs, explained Yulia Dolzhenkova from the University of Finance.
— Personnel shortages also play a significant role: many enterprises are experiencing a shortage of specialists, which accelerates employment. An additional factor was the reduction in the influx of labor due to demographic reasons - fewer young professionals are entering the market," she added.
As a result, jobs are found most quickly in industry, services, telecommunications, medicine, and logistics, the expert noted. Administrative staff, as well as specialists in marketing and advertising, experience the greatest difficulties in finding a job, where competition remains high and there are relatively few vacancies.
At the same time, five months to find a job is a long time, especially if a person has no other sources of income, the professor estimated. It usually takes that long for unemployed people to find employment without education or the necessary professional training.
A long search is also typical for many university and college graduates: lack of experience makes them less competitive in the market, Yulia Dolzhenkova continued. Those who are already employed, but are looking for a new job for a higher salary, interesting tasks or a convenient schedule, often spend a lot of time choosing the right job.
In addition, it is important to take into account regional specifics: the terms of job search vary greatly in different regions.: As a rule, it is easier to get a job in the capital and in the north than in the south, the expert concluded.
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