“One hundred guest workers instead of an excavator”: Russians were given ways to earn extra money when there is a labor shortage

“One hundred guest workers instead of an excavator”: Russians were given ways to earn extra money when there is a labor shortage

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At the end of the past year, both entrepreneurs and authorities finally recognized that the main risk for the Russian economy is the growing shortage of professional personnel. At the same time, a large number of able-bodied Russians are looking for vacancies with flexible work schedules. This issue is especially relevant for women staying at home with small children, students, pensioners and citizens caring for sick relatives. “MK” decided to find out where to find part-time work.

Recently, the head of the Central Bank, Elvira Nabiullina, speaking in the State Duma, said that the main problem of the Russian economy is the shortage of personnel. The lack of qualified workers worries top managers of Russian companies most of all. These are the results of a recent survey from Technology of Trust (formerly PwC in Russia). At the same time, international sanctions were only in fifth place on the list of obstacles for business.

As Alexey Zakharov, president of SuperJob, told MK, there is a shortage of workers in all sectors of the Russian economy, so many employers offer flexible work schedules with flat salaries. The staff shortage, in his opinion, has worsened due to a number of factors. Of course, low labor productivity had an impact. “We have been relying on cheap labor for a long time. Some managers prefer to have 100 guest workers with shovels at the site rather than buy 1 excavator,” the expert noted.

In addition, Russia has fallen into a demographic hole. Since 2008, each year 50–100 thousand fewer young people enter the labor market than in the previous year. The pandemic also caused distortions in the labor market. This is especially noticeable in the service sector. Today, a courier earns more with his feet than a 5th-6th grade turner with his head and hands. “You will not see such a speed of delivery of goods to a client, as in Moscow, either in Madrid or in New York. There is no need for us to keep shopping centers open 24 hours a day. In my opinion, our country today cannot afford such a highly developed service sector,” Zakharov noted. The shortage of personnel has exacerbated the SVO. This year alone, according to Deputy Chairman of the Security Council Dmitry Medvedev, the Ministry of Defense recruited 452 thousand contract soldiers.

But there is good news: under these conditions, the chances of finding a job with a flexible schedule and a decent salary have increased. “Good prospects for finding a part-time job open up the status of self-employment,” says vice-president of Opora Russia Marina Bludyan. To get it, you need to spend two to three minutes on the website of the Federal Tax Service (FTS). “No reporting or inspections. You only need to pay 4% of turnover to the treasury if services are provided to individuals, and 6% if to legal entities. This mode is convenient for those who decide to work for themselves or just stay afloat, as well as for freelancers,” added Bludyan. According to the Federal Tax Service, freelancers mainly work in taxis, the beauty industry, repairs, marketing, selling their own goods and courier delivery.

Today there are about 9 million self-employed people registered in the Russian Federation. “From January to the end of October, their average salary increased from 24.6 thousand to 32 thousand rubles. Some categories, such as programmers, receive significantly more,” Bludyan noted. According to her, a developed infrastructure has been created for those who want to open their own business or find a job: “My Business” offices have been opened in all regions, employment services operate where they will help with finding a job or direct them to retraining courses. Popular job search channels are also word of mouth and specialized aggregators, Zakharov added.

According to analysts, there is now a great demand for truck drivers, special transport operators, general workers and engineers. “Industrial enterprises are experiencing a great shortage of personnel. A number of defense plants operate in three shifts. There are not enough turners, milling operators, mechanics and welders. It is no coincidence that vocational education “moved” to large companies,” added Bludyan.

For many women who want to combine caring for their family with personal development and replenishing the family budget, the direct sales industry (DS) is suitable, believes Tamara Shokareva, president of the Russian Direct Sales Association (DSA): “As our survey conducted with the Higher School of Economics showed, in 2023 year, about 20% of distributors earn more than 35 thousand rubles per month. For many regions this is good money. To earn this kind of income, you typically need to be in business for over 20 hours a week. Flexible work schedules are especially convenient for mothers with small children. You can call clients, arrange a meeting on weekends or in the evenings, when your husband or grandmother has returned home from work. In addition, you can find a client and partner in kindergarten, school, sports club, when you are expecting a child, or while walking in the yard.”

There are other advantages: low entrance fee, expanding your social circle (which is important when moving to another city), lack of territorial reference (valuable for a metropolis). Moreover, if the PP company that the distributor chooses is a member of the APP, then such cooperation means minimal risks for him, since in accordance with the APP Code of Ethics, the distributor has the right to repurchase products. Thus, he is provided with financial protection in the event that sales for some reason do not proceed.

“In addition to part-time work, many people come to our industry for personal development. For manufacturers, distributors are the main asset, so through various training programs they gain communication skills, knowledge of presentation techniques and selling products. In addition to products, the seminars pay great attention to best practices in public speaking, time management, financial planning and tax basics,” Shokareva said. In her opinion, direct sales are suitable for any age category, both young people and pensioners, whose health conditions or caring for sick relatives do not allow them to work 8 hours a day. Today, distributors in the 60+ age category account for 17% of the Russian software market. At the same time, almost 70% of young people under the age of 25 consider working in direct sales as their main employment.

Marina Bludyan advises all citizens looking for work to first invest in knowledge: “Having a good basic education and additional courses, you will always find an additional source of income.”

Published in the newspaper “Moskovsky Komsomolets” No. 29176 dated December 12, 2023

Newspaper headline:
If only there was a person, there would be a job

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