The expert announced the massive transition of employees from small businesses to corporations

In 2026, the Russian labor market is experiencing a large-scale transition of personnel from small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to large companies. Mikhail Tuzov, Director of Analytics at Adviros HR company, told Izvestia about this on March 22.

"We are witnessing a massive exodus of personnel from small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) towards large corporations and industrial giants. But behind this process there is not so much a thirst for success as a search for "system armor". Under the conditions of severe regulatory pressure and tax innovations, consistency has become too expensive: small businesses can no longer pay for the order — the introduction of massive IT accounting systems, process integration and full-fledged regulatory control. This is a forced evacuation from "poor chaos" to "rich regulations," the expert noted.

Tuzov stressed that an increase in official salaries, which have reached an average of more than 100,000 rubles, does not always mean a real increase in income. In small businesses, employees often received a hybrid income, while in corporations they switch to a completely "white" salary.

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How will this affect salaries and who else are companies willing to compete for?

According to the expert, the key difficulties arise not because of functionality, but because of differences in organizational culture. In small businesses, decisions are made quickly, and personal initiative plays a significant role. In large companies, the processes are built through multi-level coordination and risk management. A separate problem is the formal approach to digitalization. Thus, in a number of companies, modern tools are used as a means of control rather than development. In such circumstances, employees quickly lose their engagement.

The specialist drew attention to the fact that in some organizations, up to 83.7% of the staff switch to passive adaptation mode, formally fulfilling their duties, but not taking the initiative.

He stated that successful integration of SME employees is possible only if the meaning of corporate rules is explained. When regulations are perceived as a business protection tool rather than a formality, the level of engagement is significantly higher. According to Tuzov, companies that are able to offer not only stability, but also clear working rules, as well as transparent expectations from employees, benefit from a shortage of personnel.

On January 20, Lidiya Inshina, a clinical psychologist, specialist in manipulation and extreme communication, told how to deal with stress during work. She noted that one small object on the desktop is enough to remind you of your goals or life. It serves as a visual trigger that helps you quickly get out of a state of anxiety and restore inner balance.

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