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- It is difficult to get a job: 90% of qualified foreigners may lose their jobs in the Russian Federation
It is difficult to get a job: 90% of qualified foreigners may lose their jobs in the Russian Federation
More than 90% of highly qualified foreigners in Russia are at risk of losing their jobs if the minimum wage threshold for them is increased to 717 thousand rubles, almost seven times higher than the national average. Now it is 250 thousand. The bill has already passed the first reading in the State Duma. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposed lowering the bar to 310 thousand in order to avoid mass layoffs (Izvestia has the letter). In 2025, about 76,000 such specialists worked in Russia, mainly from China, India and Western countries. What professions are needed in our country and whether they will compete with citizens — in the material of Izvestia.
How much do they pay skilled migrants in Russia
Today, in order to hire a highly qualified foreigner — for example, a neurosurgeon, a nanotechnologist or a narrow—profile developer - an employer in Russia must offer him at least 250 thousand rubles per month. The threshold reached this level on March 1, 2024 - before that, it had not been changed since 2010.
Meanwhile, the labor market has changed. According to Rosstat, the average salary during this time increased by more than 12% — from 89 thousand to 103 thousand rubles. In some segments, incomes are significantly higher: pension reserve management specialists in NPFs receive about 750 thousand rubles, investment fund employees — more than 615 thousand, and securities managers — almost 530 thousand. That is, their earnings are at least five times higher than the national average.
Against this background, the authorities propose to sharply raise the minimum threshold for foreigners — almost three times, to 717 thousand rubles per month. Even taking into account inflation, this looks like a significant jump: for example, by the end of 2024, the price increase was above 9.5%. Later, the indicator began to slow down — by the end of 2025 and the beginning of 2026, it amounted to about 6%.
However, business considers such a bar to be too high. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry proposes to increase the minimum to only 310 thousand rubles. A letter signed by Vadim Chubarov, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, was sent to Mikhail Sheremet, a State Duma deputy (Izvestia has it).
The initiative is being discussed for the second reading in the State Duma of the draft law on the legal status of foreign citizens. The document provides for a threefold increase in the minimum wage for highly qualified specialists. In addition, they want to raise the bar from 84 thousand to 358.5 thousand rubles per month for preferential categories — scientific and pedagogical activities, parts of medical professions, as well as work in special economic zones, Sirius and Skolkovo. According to the CCI's proposal, the minimum wage for these categories of highly qualified specialists should be 155 thousand rubles.
Business supports the idea of making the labor market more transparent, but fears the consequences. On the one hand, as noted by the head of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry Sergey Katyrin, too high a bar can scare off potential candidates (they will have to match a huge salary).
In OECD countries, such as Austria and Spain, highly skilled migrants earn an average of $70-80 thousand per year (approximately 450-520 thousand rubles per month at the exchange rate of the Central Bank on April 9). In general, in developed economies, the range is €4-7 thousand per month (from 360 thousand rubles). If the Russian threshold turns out to be higher than these values, experts can choose states with more flexible conditions, Sergey Katyrin emphasized.
On the other hand, high qualifications by themselves do not guarantee a corresponding income, and businesses are not always ready to pay such amounts. As a result, companies may refuse to hire expensive specialists and choose less qualified employees. Because of this, the country risks losing in the fight for personnel. And the influx of such specialists is important for the economy: they bring unique knowledge and technology.
The risks are confirmed by statistics. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs, in 2025, about 75 thousand highly qualified foreigners worked in Russia. If the minimum level is raised to 717 thousand rubles, more than 90% of them may lose their jobs, warns the head of the CCI. For many companies, especially small and medium-sized businesses, such expenses are simply not comparable to their income.
In addition, the chamber proposes to postpone the entry into force of the law from September 2026 to January 2027. This will give the business time to adapt and not review the already approved budgets, explained Sergey Katyrin. Izvestia appealed to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Labor. The latter recommended sending a request to the Ministry of Finance.
Experts also support the idea of a softer increase. Victoria Khaba, a member of the General Council of Delovaya Rossiya, considers the level of 310 thousand rubles to be a reasonable compromise: it will allow attracting rare specialists without drastically reducing their number. An attempt to raise the bar to 717,000, in her opinion, will lead to a narrowing of the category of such workers, which will hit high-tech industries.
At the same time, market participants suggest reviewing the approach itself. According to Sergei Nuzhdin, chairman of the Opora Russia committee, the salary alone is not enough to evaluate a specialist. Instead, you should consider experience, education, independent test results, and employer recommendations. This approach will allow us to attract really valuable personnel without creating artificial barriers, he added.
Why do the Russian economy need migrants?
An increase in the minimum salary threshold for foreign specialists is generally justified, says Lyudmila Ivanova-Shvets, Associate professor at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. According to her, it is necessary to focus on the international income level, which is usually higher. If the limit is not revised, the supply from such employees will decrease.
Such personnel remain an important resource for the economy and do not create serious competition for Russians, said Anastasia Gorelkina, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Siberian Business Union. She added that in recent years, the purchasing power of the ruble has decreased, so the previous threshold of 250 thousand has become less attractive. According to her, the increase in salaries should compensate for the increase in housing, transport and food costs.
The main source countries for such specialists are China (about 40%), Vietnam (20%), Turkey (17%) and India (10%), said Valery Tumin, a member of the Expert council of the State Duma Committee on Economic Policy. According to him, specialists from Azerbaijan, Armenia, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan also work in Russia, while the flow from Germany, the USA and Canada has decreased in recent years.
Foreigners are most often employed in IT and software development, Anastasia Gorelkina said. According to her, specialists from India, China and other countries are involved in localization of services, creation of new products and implementation of digital technologies. In addition, doctors of narrow specialties, as well as engineers in nuclear energy, mechanical engineering and nanotechnology are in demand — they work in scientific institutes, in production and in innovative projects, sometimes holding senior positions.
Salaries of such specialists are already high today. Income can reach 350-400 thousand rubles, said financial advisor and founder of Rodin.Capital Alexey Rodin. According to the Ministry of Labor, among the vacancies for foreigners, the maximum offers were recorded from the chairmen of the board — about 380 thousand rubles per month, managers of educational activities — 303 thousand, as well as production directors — 255 thousand. If there is a unique expertise, employers are willing to pay more, added Victoria Khaba from Delovaya Rossiya.
The Russian labor market is already facing a structural shortage of personnel, which is difficult to close only at the expense of internal resources, said Sergey Nuzhdin from Opora Russia. According to him, such specialists do not displace Russians, but create added value: they participate in the implementation of large projects, increase productivity and transfer knowledge to local employees.
Russian President Vladimir Putin at a meeting of the Supervisory Board of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives for the Promotion of New Projects, February 18, 2026.
The problem of the shortage of workers in the Russian Federation is becoming more and more acute. According to Rosstat, unemployment fell to 2.1% in February. At the same time, Labor Minister Anton Kotyakov previously stated that by 2030, the Russian economy will need almost 11 million people to replace outgoing specialists and close new vacancies.
The State is also interested in the influx of such personnel. President Vladimir Putin, at a meeting of the supervisory board of the Agency for Strategic Initiatives in February, stressed that the authorities would facilitate the relocation of foreigners of interest to the country.
Foreign specialists bring unique skills and experience, contributing to the modernization of production and the development of innovations, said Valery Tumin. According to him, they also help to build business ties with foreign companies and attract investments.
At the same time, it is impossible to completely solve the problem of staff shortages at the expense of newcomers, Victoria Khaba stressed. In her assessment, a set of measures is needed for sustainable development, including support for domestic education and specialist training systems.
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