Field entries: agricultural sector may need 1 million workers by 2036
In a negative scenario, 1 million workers will be missing in agriculture by 2036, according to the expert and analytical report of the National Priorities NGO. However, as the All—Russian Research Institute of Labor informed Izvestia, the forecast of personnel requirements by 2032 is a more modest figure of 400,000. In the report, experts note that it is necessary to overcome the systemic negative perception of work in agriculture and rural life. This is the only way to attract young people to this sector. In addition, the experts recommended the introduction of mandatory training for students of agricultural universities and the further development of targeted contract mechanisms. Details can be found in the Izvestia article.
What prevents you from attracting workers to the agro-industrial complex
In the next 10 years, the shortage of personnel in the agro-industrial complex may reach 1 million people. This is the most negative scenario described in the analytical report of the National Priorities NGO "Agriculture as a guarantee of sovereignty and a strategic resource for the country's technological leadership" (Izvestia has it). It can be realized if annual replenishment of people leaving the industry is not systematically adjusted (many specialists either retire or move from rural areas to the city).
The authors of the report cited data from the Ministry of Agriculture, according to which the agricultural sector annually needs an influx of 160,000 new specialists. The document also cites expert estimates, according to which more than half of graduates of agricultural universities do not go to work in the industry, "using a diploma as a social elevator for migration to the city."
"The older generation of retirement age works to the last, but still leaves, and it is not yet possible to replenish these resources in the required volumes," the document says. "The most difficult situation is in breeding and breeding, where the labor that requires deep immersion and the need for long—term transfer of experience from the older generation are faced with the lack of an influx of young people."
There is a shortage of personnel in key production specialties, such as veterinary medicine, experts said.
"Even undergraduates from specialized universities admit that they are not ready to go to work in the agricultural sector, preferring pet veterinary clinics or non—specialty work altogether," the report notes. "The problem starts with motivation to get an agricultural education and reaches the point where it is impossible to find even the most basic specialists."
The average score of the Unified State Exam in agricultural universities is "traditionally lower compared to other universities," which makes these universities "a backup option for applicants, especially for those who do not plan to major," the document says.
The underlying cause of the personnel crisis is not only the demographic situation, but also the systemic negative perception of work in agriculture and rural life, which is associated with low wages and hard physical labor, the authors of the report state.
"In other words, they will pay little, but they will demand a lot. But if you want to attract young professionals, you need a different image of the agricultural sector, which has social guarantees and stability, housing, benefits, and support for young families when moving," the report cites the opinion of the director of the large business division "Work.<url>" by Alexander Babenko.
How to attract people to the agro-industrial complex
Among the recommendations for solving the personnel problem are retraining programs and attracting "digital" personnel, in particular, the creation of a retraining program for IT specialists, engineers and biologists to work in the agro-industrial complex.
The report indicates that a "fundamental modernization of agricultural education" is also overdue — it is necessary to integrate courses in genetics, digital technologies, bioinformatics and agrobiotech into the curricula, and create advanced engineering schools on the basis of leading agricultural universities together with agribusiness leaders.
And in order to attract personnel, a set of measures is needed aimed at changing the image of the village and "creating real incentives."
Alexander Babenko also presented the results of the research "Work.ru". According to him, 57% of respondents are ready to move to the village if conditions are created, and among young people (18-35 years old) this figure reaches 74%.
"But their motivation is different," the expert noted. — Candidates of 40+ go primarily for income, and for young people, the key factor is life balance, harmony between work and personal life. They are attracted by the image of the village not as a "dreary hinterland", but as a "territory of new opportunities" — with nature, ecology, the opportunity to realize their hobbies and start their own business."
According to the report, in order to bridge the gap between interest and a real move, it is necessary not only to show everyday life, but also to give clear career guidelines and employment paths.
"The most important area is large—scale work to inform students and young professionals about government support measures and real career paths in the agro-industrial complex," the experts said.
And in order to increase the return on budget places in agricultural universities, experts suggest developing targeted attraction mechanisms (for example, increased scholarships) and mandatory training in the industry.
"This will allow students to get to know the industry in practice, break stereotypes and consciously choose a career path in the agro—industrial complex," they said.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, 6.4 million people work in agriculture today. To provide the industry with qualified personnel, the federal project "Personnel in the Agroindustrial Complex" has been launched since this year.
"Within its framework, work is underway to create an end—to-end model of agricultural education - from school to employer. In particular, a network of agrotechnological classes is actively developing. By 2030, 18,000 such classes should be created across the country. Systematic work is also being carried out to develop secondary vocational education, which today covers about 40% of the personnel needs of the industry," the department said.
Starting in 2026, on behalf of the President of Russia, the Ministry of Agriculture, together with the Ministry of Education, will launch a separate program for the modernization of agricultural colleges — Agroprofessionality.
"In addition, the federal project "Personnel in agriculture" provides for the support of agricultural producers for partial reimbursement of their costs under concluded student agreements and agreements on targeted training on a commercial basis," the department said. "These mechanisms allow us to take into account the personnel needs of specific organizations and contribute to the consolidation of young professionals in the industry."
And in 2025, a new approach to working with the target quota for training was launched: now its size is determined based on applications from employers. One of the essential conditions of the targeted training agreement is the obligation to work for at least three years in accordance with the qualifications obtained from the employer.
Personnel forecasts
Vladimir Smirnov, Acting Director General of the All—Russian Research Institute of Labor, said that about 4.2 million people are currently employed in agriculture - about 6% of the total number of employees. For comparison, there are more than 10.6 million in the manufacturing industry, 5.9 million in transportation and storage, and about 6.8 million in construction.
According to the All-Russian Research Institute of Labor, the number of vacancies in agriculture posted on the digital platform "Work of Russia" is 55.3 thousand jobs as of the end of December 2025.
"The total number of job offers for the current day is more than 1.4 million. For comparison, there are almost 400,000 vacancies in the manufacturing industry, 82,000 vacancies in transportation and storage, and more than 200,000 vacancies in construction," they said.
Over the next seven years, the total demand of enterprises in agriculture will remain at the level of 4.2 million people, Vladimir Smirnov said. He also provided data on the forecast of personnel needs for seven years: according to him, by 2032, the total replacement personnel need in agriculture will amount to about 400,000 workers.
— Such a volume of replacement needs while maintaining the total number of people employed in the industry is associated with the average age of employees. So, according to Rosstat, the average age of an employee in the economy is 42.5 years, and in agriculture it is slightly higher — 45 years, — said Vladimir Smirnov.
He stressed that the need for personnel is also affected by changes in labor functions — while maintaining the number of employees in the company, there may be a personnel need if, for example, operators of cleaning robots replace the handymen.
"New technologies and robotics are being introduced, and along with new technologies, employees need to acquire additional digital—related competencies and constantly update them," the expert said.
For example, precision farming technologies with GPS navigation and agricultural drones are being introduced, which increases the relevance of working with unmanned systems for agronomists, since using these systems it is possible to more accurately monitor the condition of fields.
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