Correspondence rate: student activity in the labor market has increased sixfold
Students are storming the labor market en masse — up to 60 students are applying for one place, and the interest of young people in such vacancies has increased sixfold over the year. The internship segment has already become the most competitive, according to the study "Jobs.<url>" and "SberPodbora" (Izvestia has it). Young people are moving into trade, delivery, catering and IT amid expensive tuition, budget cuts, lower family incomes and a slowdown in hiring. This can mitigate the shortage of personnel, but increase hidden unemployment: students will not work in their specialty for the sake of quick earnings, and the economy will lose qualified personnel. How much do newbies get paid and in which areas it is better not to meddle now — in the Izvestia article.
Why are students eager to work
Competition for jobs in Russia increased in all groups in the first quarter of 2026, but the sharpest jump occurred among young applicants. According to the analysis of 250 thousand vacancies of the services "Work.<url>" and SberPodbor, in the category "jobs for students and internships" the average number of responses increased from nine to 60 per offer — by 560% year-on-year. This has made the segment the most competitive in the labor market. At the same time, the share of student resumes increased from 1.6% to 7%.
The trend is confirmed by other recruiting services. According to Avito Jobs, in January – April, the activity of applicants aged 18-24 increased 1.5 times, and average salary expectations reached almost 60 thousand rubles per month, said Roman Gubanov, the company's development director.
Young people started entering the labor market earlier, SuperJob added. They explained the trend with more flexible legislation in the field of her employment, the spread of remote and hybrid formats, as well as the demographic factor — the number of Russians over the age of 14 is increasing.
Companies have also become more active in attracting young people. According to SuperJob, two thirds of organizations are now ready to accept students for internships, and one in three already has full-fledged programs for the adaptation of novice specialists.
The growth of competition among students is a relatively new, but long—term trend, says Farida Mirzabalayeva, associate professor of the basic Department of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry "Human Resource Management" at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. The early entry of students into the labor market is also associated with economic reasons — a reduction in budget places, a desire not to depend financially on parents and an increase in tuition fees, the expert added. Against this background, companies' demands on young candidates are increasing, and internships are becoming the main adaptation tool. Now, according to her, the possibility of fixing such a mechanism in the Labor Code is being discussed.
Competition has also intensified because the number of offers for novice specialists has decreased, despite the shortage of staff, said Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global. According to her, the HeadHunter survey data showed that in December 2025, the number of vacancies, including for candidates without experience, decreased by almost a third compared to the previous month, while the number of active resumes increased by 37%. This indicates a cooling of the market.
The expert added that a large number of representatives of the zoomer generation, born at the beginning of the 21st century, entered the labor market, including during the period of demographic improvement. At the same time, the personnel shortage in many companies has already been partially closed, but the demand still remains for qualified workers and specialists with at least three years of experience.
According to Natalia Milchakova, students are also pushed to find work for everyday reasons — the need to pay rent, daily expenses and have their own income. Many students from other regions or international students try to financially help their relatives. In addition, some young people already support their families themselves. At the end of 2025, the State Duma reported that the number of student marriages had increased by 17% in recent years. As a result, the labor market is replenished with young employees without seniority, but with serious financial responsibility.
Izvestia sent a request to the Ministry of Labor.
Where the competition among young people is higher
An increase in the number of responses was also recorded in various fields. According to the "Work.In IT, the figure has almost tripled — from 11 to 33 per vacancy, and doubled in trade.
The share of resumes in trade increased the most over the year (by 12%), followed by culture, education and civil service (+2%). At the same time, the number of responses in the public sector has hardly changed.
At the same time, the number of questionnaires decreased in construction and real estate (-9%), transport and logistics (-8%), as well as in manufacturing and agriculture (-7%). At the same time, transport and logistics showed a weak increase in responses — by only 13%.
— We are witnessing multidirectional dynamics. In construction and logistics, employers' demand is growing, but the number of resumes is decreasing, and the increase in responses remains minimal," said the Deputy General Director of Jobs.<url>" by Alexander Veterkov.
In the IT sector, the situation is reversed: the number of vacancies has decreased by almost 5%, while the number of responses has tripled. The sphere has become an employer's market where job seekers compete with each other, Alexander Veterkov emphasized.
The most noticeable increase in the number of vacancies for students was in housing and communal services, energy and heavy engineering, added Roman Gubanov from Avito Rabota. At the same time, young job seekers themselves are increasingly looking for jobs in tourism and catering.
The influx of young people is already leading to an abundance of aspiring professionals in a number of fields, added Natalia Milchakova from Freedom Finance Global. According to her, this is especially noticeable in retail, courier services, IT, marketing, PR, advertising, design and legal consulting. In addition, increased competition may increase hidden unemployment, as some students will be forced to accept temporary part-time jobs, part-time employment or non-specialty work, formally remaining employed, but not having a stable and full-fledged place.
The interest of students in trade, internships and IT is understandable, said Anastasia Gorelkina, Chairman of the Board of Directors of JSC HC Siberian Business Union. Retail and services allow you to combine employment with study, and programming attracts high salaries and a remote format.
At the same time, Alexey Karpunin, a partner at 5D Consulting, believes that interest in IT remains largely "by inertia." According to him, the market for junior specialists is already oversaturated, and finding a first job has become much more difficult than it was a few years ago.
SuperJob said that salaries in popular vacancies for students are sometimes lower than the market. So, couriers are willing to pay from 3 thousand rubles a day, employees of the sales floor — from 70 thousand per month, assistant engineers — from 80 thousand, and cashiers and call center operators — about 90 thousand. According to Rosstat, the average salary in Russia in 2026 was over 100,000.
What is the risk of a massive influx of students into the labor market?
Competition in the labor market is a natural process in itself, Alexey Karpunin believes. According to him, it helps to select the most prepared and adaptive candidates. However, the situation is more complicated for students: if a young person cannot find a job for a long time and does not understand how to compete for a place, he often goes into areas with a low entry threshold, such as trade or courier services. As a result, the market is losing potential specialists.
According to the expert, along with the growth of competition, it is necessary to teach students the skills of job search and career development. Otherwise, there is a risk of losing an entire generation of personnel.
It is possible to prevent an oversupply of specialists in certain areas either due to the continuing shortage of personnel, or through the creation of new jobs in other industries, says Natalia Milchakova from Freedom Finance Global.
The attitude of employers towards students has changed markedly in recent years, noted Anastasia Gorelkina from the Siberian Business Union. Previously, hiring students was a necessary measure, but now it is a full-fledged personnel strategy.
However, the trend has a downside, the expert warned. Excessive employment during studies can reduce the quality of education, and employers face high staff turnover. In addition, the concentration of young people in several popular fields increases the shortage of workers in manufacturing, construction and logistics, which means it slows down economic growth.
Experts are confident that the trend towards early entry of students into the labor market will continue. At the same time, companies that can offer young people flexible schedules, clear career prospects, and the opportunity to combine employment with study will benefit.
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