Shadow by day: pressure on the grey labor market has increased in Russia
The hunt for salaries "in envelopes" in Russia is gaining momentum — in the first three months of 2026 alone, the authorities pulled almost 220,000 workers out of the shadows, which is 20% more than a year ago. Companies that have been saving on taxes and contributions for years by booking people "past the cash register" are being targeted. For the government, these are billions of lost money, for businesses it is a temptation to cut costs in conditions of expensive loans and staff starvation, and for employees themselves it is a roulette game without sick leave, vacations and a normal pension. But Russians still accept such conditions: some for the sake of a bigger salary, others to hide their real incomes, for example, from alimony. How employers are calculated and what the gray schemes threaten them with is in the Izvestia material.
How many people in Russia work informally
In Russia, experts estimate that between 10 million and 15 million people are employed in the informal sector. We are talking about employees without an employment contract who receive a salary in whole or in part "in an envelope", as well as those who are registered as self-employed instead of being officially hired.
The authorities began the fight against gray employment back in 2013-2014, when control from the Federal Tax Service and the Labor Inspectorate increased. Now the course towards whitewashing the economy has become even tougher, said Farida Mirzabalayeva, Associate Professor of the Basic Department of the CCI of the Russian Federation "Human Resource Management" at Plekhanov Russian University of Economics. According to her, the government is simultaneously strengthening inspections and encouraging employers to formalize employees.
The results of this work are already noticeable. In the first quarter of 2026 alone, 219,000 workers were brought out of the shadows, the press service of the Ministry of Labor told Izvestia. This is 21% more than a year earlier, when the figure was 180.5 thousand people.
Most then receive official status: they enter into employment or civil law contracts with them, register them as self-employed, individual entrepreneurs, or formalize peasant farms, the department said.
The main work is carried out by interdepartmental commissions established in all regions. They include representatives of the Federal Tax Service, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Rostrud and other departments, the Ministry of Labor added.
Since 2026, the authorities have expanded the list of signs of illegal employment. Companies where more than 10 employees receive salaries below the minimum wage (27 thousand rubles) may come under suspicion. Additional attention is paid to employers who work with more than 35 self-employed people at the same time, if their average monthly income exceeds 35 thousand rubles, the interaction lasts more than three months, and 75% of earnings come from one organization.
Another criterion is to work with more than 10 self—employed people who were previously full-time employees of the same company. In addition, an audit can be initiated if the average salary in an organization is one third lower than the industry level in the region.
It is important for the state to expand legal employment, as this increases tax revenues and contributions to the Social Fund, which helps reduce the budget deficit, explained Natalia Milchakova, a leading analyst at Freedom Finance Global. According to Farida Mirzabalayeva, formal employment also provides workers with guarantees and supports the sustainability of social policy. The shortage of personnel remains an additional incentive for the legalization of the market.
However, the scale of the problem is still significant. Even 219,000 legalized workers represent less than 1% of the country's total workforce. According to Rosstat, by the beginning of March 2026, 75 million people were employed in the Russian economy.
What are the risks of workers without employment contracts?
Companies often avoid official registration in order to reduce costs, Ekaterina Kosareva, Managing Partner of VMT Consult, explained. Employers save not only on personal income tax (from 13% and above), but also on insurance premiums (usually 30%) — the total load exceeds 40%. In addition, the official registration of employees requires time and additional procedures.
Businesses are being pushed towards gray schemes and rising costs: higher VAT and income taxes, as well as expensive loans. An additional factor remains the personnel shortage — it is important for companies to fill vacancies faster. It is not uncommon for employees to officially work in one place and earn extra money in another without registration.
Pensioners have also been actively moving into the informal sector in recent years, since their old-age payments were not indexed from 2016 to 2024. Since 2025, indexation has been extended again to working pensioners, but many still prefer to hide income from the state.
At the same time, the main risks are borne by the employee himself, said Viktor Lyashok, a leading researcher at the INSAP Center of the Presidential Academy. Without official registration, a person loses the right to paid leave, sick leave and maternity payments, and also risks a future pension. In addition, he may be fired at any time or not paid for his work.
Despite this, many Russians accept a salary "in an envelope" in order to earn more income, Ekaterina Kosareva noted. According to her, some also use unofficial earnings to reduce the amount of alimony. At the same time, after the legalization of employment, an employee is usually not required to pay additional personal income tax for previous periods, said lawyer Ilya Rusyaev: the functions of a tax agent lie with the employer.
How are employees punished for moving into the shadows?
The main responsibility for salaries "in an envelope" lies with the employer, said lawyer Ilya Rusyaev. According to him, fines for companies range from 50 thousand to 100 thousand rubles, and for repeated violations — up to 200 thousand. In addition, the tax service charges additional personal income tax and insurance premiums, penalties and fines in the amount of 20-40% of the unpaid amounts. With large amounts of violations, criminal liability is also possible — up to six years in prison.
Shadow employment distorts competition and puts bona fide businesses in a less advantageous position, said Marina Moskvina, Managing Director of the Labor Market and Social Partnership Department of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs. According to her, companies operating in white are forced to compete with those who reduce costs through illegal hiring.
At the same time, the authorities continue to strengthen their control. Since 2022, interdepartmental commissions with the participation of the Prosecutor's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Federal Tax Service and Rostrud have been working in the regions. They transmit data on violations to the labor inspectorate and tax authorities for inspections.
Another measure was the register of unscrupulous employers, which Rostrud launched in 2025. As of May 18, 2026, there are already 711 companies and sole proprietors in it, including, for example, the Zhako confectionery factory, the Kumertau Aviation Production Enterprise and the Sarapul Electric Generating Plant.
The registry itself does not increase the detection of violations, since employers get there after the decisions come into force, Ilya Rusyaev noted. However, inclusion in the list creates reputational risks and may limit access to government support. But in general, experts agree that, despite increased control and the gradual whitewashing of the labor market, it will not be possible to completely defeat shadow employment for a long time due to the high burden on businesses, staff shortages and the willingness of workers themselves to accept unofficial income.
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