Competition has intensified in the Russian labor market – Kommersant

The demand for highly qualified engineering personnel in Russia continues to grow, said SIBUR HR Director Danil Rasskazaov at HR forum, organized by the Kommersant Publishing House. At the same time, according to him, given the shortage of personnel, the labor market has become very competitive: companies have to fight to attract the best personnel and retain staff.

“Previously, we competed with companies in the fuel and energy complex, partly with metallurgists and mechanical engineering. Now the spectrum of competition is very blurred, this is the entire market. In some places we compete for IT personnel with the grandees, in others we begin to compete for low-grade personnel with those involved in delivery. The market has changed a lot,” noted Mr. Rasskazov.

The expert also said that the number of young professionals under the age of 35 in Russia could decrease by 1.3 million people over the year. To attract young people, over the last four years, SIBUR has been actively investing in a personnel training system and creating training standards in production. The company is also opening brand zones in key universities, colleges and schools. “Today, we have reduced the period for raising a qualified worker who can work in the petrochemical industry independently and safely from four to one and a half years,” concluded Mr. Rasskazov.

As before wrote “Kommersant”, according to the Institute of Statistical Research and Economics of Knowledge of the National Research University Higher School of Economics, Russia has recorded a paradoxical decline over a number of years in the production of bachelors, specialists, masters, including in engineering, technology and technical sciences: in 2023 their reduction compared to 2013 amounted to 20.8% (from 290 thousand in 2013 to 229.7 thousand in 2023). Per 10 thousand people employed in the economy, the output of engineering personnel for the period 2013–2022 decreased from 43 to 33 people.

Unemployment in Russia dropped to 2.9% in January, returning to a historical low, according to Rosstat data. If in December 2023 the total number of unemployed people was 2.289 million people, then in January it dropped to 2.15 million people.

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