“In the taxi market, the employer still has a choice” – Kommersant

The shortage of drivers is considered one of the main reasons for rising taxi prices. How serious the problem is and how possible restrictions on attracting migrants will affect it, the general director of ProPersonnel told Kommersant Tatiana Dolyakova.

— Now all industries are faced with a shortage of personnel. How serious is this problem for the taxi market?

— The passenger transportation sector, like other sectors of the Russian economy, is experiencing a shortage of workers. But there is no crazy shortage, as, for example, in construction, where certain skills and special education are required. Today, young employees with minimal experience and short-term prospects are looking for work in maintenance and service. Therefore, the employer still has a choice in the taxi market.

— After the terrorist attack in Crocus City Hall, the authorities began to talk about restrictions on incoming flows of migrants. How will this affect the taxi market?

— For already working drivers and potential candidates among Russians, this is, of course, a plus. In conditions of staff shortages, employers will be forced to increase wages for taxi drivers.

Before the pandemic, Russia had a transparent migration policy and allocated migration quotas, which, coupled with a relatively stable exchange rate, made the country attractive for migrants from Central Asia. But in recent years, they have preferred to choose other countries – for example, the United Arab Emirates. The currency there is more resistant to foreign policy changes, which automatically makes the earnings of foreigners higher.

In addition, in the Russian Federation there is now actually a transformation of migration policy both at the state level and at the level of companies, which have become more careful in hiring foreigners. Today, employers offer migrants mainly project work for a certain period of time, upon completion of which the foreigners are sent home. In the future, this trend will intensify, and a new incoming flow of migrants will be generated only by temporary projects, while employers will hire Russians for permanent employment. Simply put, there will be fewer migrant specialists.

— Is it possible to replace migrants from Central Asia with specialists from other countries, for example Belarus?

— Belarusians mainly go to Europe for labor migration. They enter Russia only as rare specialists upon invitations from employers. If we consider other friendly countries, for example India, which could potentially provide a significant flow of migrants, we can say that there are now too many obstacles for close cooperation. Indians do not know the Russian language; they need to be trained for a long time and adapted to Russian realities and legislation. In other words, they are not yet ready to work in Russia.

— What do taxi market employers now lack to attract personnel from other industries?

— The global economy of developed countries is structured in such a way that people are mainly involved in the service sector: e-commerce, courier and logistics services, food technology and taxis. The number of workers and the population as a whole does not change, but the demand of segments for personnel is growing, there are not enough people physically.

In the short term, the shortage will persist, but in the long term, employers will focus on robotization of services. For example, unmanned taxis may appear on dedicated road lanes. The road infrastructure is not yet ready for this, but in five years everything will be possible.

Interviewed by Daria Andrianova