Migrants from far abroad will not be able to replace workers from CIS countries

Why guest workers from Africa and Cuba will not be able to replace workers from the Eurasian Union

Russian recruitment agencies first recorded an increase in the demand of Russian companies for employees from non-CIS countries – India, Pakistan and even North Korea – at the end of February. However, after the terrorist attack in Crocus, this trend may become relevant again due to the measures that the authorities intend to take to tighten the access of labor migrants from the CIS to the Russian market. Experts told MK why workers from the countries of the Eurasian Union cannot be replaced by guest workers from distant, albeit friendly, states.

The Russian authorities decided to implement several organizational and administrative initiatives in relation to labor migrants. Firstly, according to the bill proposed by the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they want to limit their stay in our country to up to 90 days, and upon entering the state they will have to undergo fingerprint registration (leave their fingerprints) and photographing. Secondly, the idea arose to restore the department responsible for interethnic and migration policy. Such a structure existed in Russia from 1994 to 2001. It was called the Ministry of Nationalities and Regional Policy. It was reorganized several times, and in 2001 it was completely abolished. After liquidation, its functions were transferred to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and partially divided between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Economic Development.

Since it will not be possible to increase Russia’s GDP without labor migrants, and moreover, it will be difficult to cope even with the current shortage of personnel, another idea has been heard at the level of companies and recruitment agencies not for the first time: to attract guest workers from friendly distant countries to the domestic labor market. abroad – from African countries, Cuba and others. However, experts are extremely skeptical about this proposal.

“It is impossible to completely replace labor migrants from Central Asia with migrants from Latin America, and especially from Africa,” says Alexander Safonov, a professor at the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation. “We must understand that over three decades of using the labor of workers from the Central Asian region, a certain mechanism has developed that provides personnel to a wide range of employers and individuals.”

There are direct contacts, the level of qualifications of those entering is already clear, they speak Russian and, in principle, do not create the problems that Europe faces, where there are many immigrants from the African region. And new contingents mean more expensive labor logistics. It is in the region where the labor force lives that it is necessary to evaluate its parameters: qualifications, ability to comply with labor conditions and labor discipline, and respect traditions. In addition, migrants from new regions do not know Russian at all, and this is one of the requirements for admission to work. It is unclear who will teach them and at what cost, the professor emphasized.

“I think this is a very bad idea: it’s just that the Russian labor market didn’t have enough Africans to solve all the problems,” Alexander Razuvaev, a member of the supervisory board of the Guild of Financial Analysts and Risk Managers, continues the conversation. — You might think that they would not have difficulties with the Russian language or other forms of adaptation and integration into Russian society. There is no need to create additional difficulties where ready-made solutions already exist: there is Eurasian integration. Perhaps we will soon arrive at a passport for a citizen of the Eurasian Union, most likely, however, without Armenia, but, for example, with Uzbekistan. For me, people from Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan are not strangers, but representatives from far abroad countries – from Africa, Cuba, Southeast Asian countries – are perceived differently, as completely foreign citizens. They have a foreign mentality, and they are unlikely to fit into Russian society.”

Unfortunately, they are trying to fragment the Eurasian space. But this must be resisted: migrants are part of the domestic economy, they ensure the growth of Russia’s GDP. Yes, we probably need to act more harshly, for example, so that they cannot bring their families here, but this is just a matter of control. And it would be nice if Russia declared that we need to move towards the passport of the Eurasian Union, towards the unification of a greater Russia.

“I don’t see any serious issues with migrants from the CIS countries that cannot be resolved,” added Razuvaev. — If Russia does not help them with employment, then their countries will have NATO or ISIS bases (a terrorist organization banned in Russia). Russia will have to forget about “gray import” hubs in the countries from which migrants come to us, such as Kyrgyzstan or Uzbekistan.”

Our country has yet to decide: it wants to be a multinational empire, which it has been for 800 years since the time of the Golden Horde, or a nation state like Poland, only with missiles. And Islam is not at all alien to Russia: Volga Bulgaria, now part of our country, adopted it before Prince Vladimir baptized Rus’, the analyst recalled. In his opinion, there is no problem with workers from the CIS countries, you just need to strengthen control and comply with migration legislation.