With varying success: why is Lukashenko inviting migrant workers to Belarus
The Belarusian authorities have launched a large-scale campaign to attract labor migrants from Uzbekistan to the country. Alexander Lukashenko stressed that Minsk is waiting on its territory for migrants with their families to resolve personnel issues. At the same time, the first charter flight from Andijan has already arrived in Vitebsk, which was greeted with songs and a loaf. Izvestia investigated the situation.
What happened
The Belarusian authorities have launched a large-scale campaign to attract Uzbek labor migrants to the country. Alexander Lukashenko first discussed this topic during a meeting with President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev in mid-July. The Belarusian leader then said that in Minsk, people from the Central Asian republic are loved and welcomed by whole families.
He added that in Uzbekistan there is a shortage of water and land, while in Belarus it is all there, but there are not enough workers. "Our dream is for people to come and settle here, receive healthcare, education, and develop. We really need this so that our land does not become empty," noted Lukashenko. At the same time, he added that migrants can get housing in the countryside, but in the city they will have to "wait a little bit."
The two governments also signed an agreement on organized labor recruitment. The document says that the Agency for Migration of the Central Asian Republic will search for people to meet the tasks of Belarusian employers, while taking into account the qualifications, experience, and health status of candidates. Tashkent will also take upon itself the return of compatriots home if they violate the law.
The Belarusian leader then traveled through the Vitebsk region, accompanied by the khokim (governor) of the Andijan region of Uzbekistan, Shukhratbek Abdurakhmanov. Lukashenko said that migrants are planned to be attracted not only to agriculture, but also to construction, industry and services. They will be provided with equal rights with the indigenous population, because they are "not strangers to Belarusians."
It is known that the Belarusian authorities plan to accommodate up to 5,000 visitors in the Vitebsk region, and they will be received in groups of 500 people. In the future, the program will be extended to Mogilev oblast and other regions. In mid-July, the first charter from Andijan arrived in Vitebsk, on which 200 migrant workers arrived, and they were greeted at the airport with traditional songs and a loaf.
What is important to know
Belarus has a difficult demographic situation. According to the National Statistical Committee, the population has been declining for 10 years. In 2016, there were 9.5 million people living in the country, but now there are half a million fewer. Over the past year alone, there have been 53 thousand fewer people in the republic than a year earlier.
The situation in rural areas is the most alarming. About 20 settlements disappeared in Belarus last year, and 15 have already disappeared this year. "It is premature to say that we are disappearing, but, as in many European countries, Belarus is undergoing a process of transformation of rural settlement — migration of people from the countryside to the city," explains Natalia Babura, head of the cartography department of the Belgeodesia enterprise.
In addition, the Belarusian authorities report on the rapid development of the economy, which has led to an acute shortage of personnel in the country. Thus, Deputy Minister of Labor Tatiana Astreiko emphasized that the overall unemployment rate is only 2.4%, while employment in the 25-49 age group reaches 95-96%. At the same time, 60 thousand additional jobs appear in the republic every year.
This is not the first time that the Belarusian authorities have raised the issue of attracting migrant workers. The most high-profile episode occurred last spring. At that time, Alexander Lukashenko met with Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif in Minsk. During the talks, the Belarusian leader said that the country is ready to receive 100-150 thousand Pakistani specialists.
On April 11, President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Prime Minister of Pakistan Shahbaz Sharif in Minsk.
The news spread widely on Belarusian social networks, and there were quite a lot of critical comments. Against this background, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the country stated that they were actively identifying provocateurs and distributors of fakes who speculate on the topic, trying to incite interethnic hostility. Resources close to the security forces then published penitent videos of exposed citizens.
Alexander Lukashenko himself stressed that we are talking about importing qualified workers, not ordinary migrant workers. He also noted that the priority is not single young people, but married couples. As a result, however, there was no mass influx of Pakistanis. In May of this year, Interior Minister of Belarus Ivan Kubrakov reported that there are only 324 Asian citizens in the republic.
It is difficult to say how successful the current experiment with attracting workers from Central Asia will be. On the one hand, Belarus and Uzbekistan have closer humanitarian ties than Minsk and Islamabad. Many residents of both post-Soviet republics still remember their shared past, and the Russian language can serve as a unifying factor.
On the other hand, money issues seem to be an obstacle. The average salary in Belarus is about $1,000. This is twice as much as in Uzbekistan, but less than in Russia. Accordingly, all other things being equal, it is more logical for potential migrants to choose the northern direction, besides, Russia is closer to Uzbekistan.
What the experts say
Nikolai Sergeev, a representative of the Institute of CIS Countries in Belarus, emphasizes that there is no talk of mass resettlement of Uzbek citizens.
— Belarus has strict migration legislation. The employer names a certain number of employees that he needs, brings and places people at his own expense, and provides wages. Visitors must also register with the internal affairs authorities, the police regularly check their living conditions, and in case of any violations, they will be expelled. The rules in the country are strict," he explains.
Alexander Vorobyov, head of the Center for Public Diplomacy and Analysis of World Politics, a researcher at the Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, says that Uzbek migrants may well go to Belarus.
— Uzbekistan has a human resource. Yes, many people go to Russia, but even here the market is not unlimited, plus recently there has been competition with immigrants from North Korea, Pakistan, and India. Accordingly, representatives of the Central Asian republic may well reorient themselves to Belarus. At the same time, I think that uncontrolled migration will not be allowed in Minsk. It will probably be a targeted recruitment of workers in certain areas, primarily agriculture and construction," he argues.
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