Out of access to external hires – Kommersant

Russian IT companies are discussing with the Ministry of Digital Development the opportunity to pay for the relocation of developers to the Russian Federation at their own expense and are asking to simplify the procedure for hiring foreign specialists. Now, even for remote employment, job seekers need to obtain a work permit. Experts, however, doubt the effectiveness of these measures, believing that Russian companies will not be able to meet the salary expectations of foreigners. The Ministry of Digital Development believes that the industry has enough existing indulgences: for foreign specialists, there is a simplified procedure for obtaining a residence permit and employment within the country.

Valentin Makarov, president of NP Russoft (unites more than 315 IT companies), told Kommersant that Russian IT companies are ready to pay for the return to the country of the employees they need, who left after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine. According to him, against the backdrop of a shortage of personnel and “the growing interest of friendly countries in Russian specialists,” it is also “expedient for the government to reduce barriers to hiring foreign employees remotely.” Mr. Makarov believes that the main barrier is the procedure for obtaining the right to work in the Russian Federation, which “takes a certain amount of time.” Kommersant’s interlocutor in the industry specified that market participants are already discussing these issues with the Ministry of Digital Development.

Oksana Pakhomova, HR Director of Hi-Tech Group, clarifies that, subject to the correct submission of documents, the procedure for obtaining a work permit in the Russian Federation takes about two months.

According to her, there are now certain rules for hiring foreigners within the country: “So, if an employee has the status of a highly qualified specialist, then the company is obliged to quarterly report on the level of his income, which should not be lower than a certain amount.”

Also, when accepting a foreign specialist, regardless of whether he will work remotely or not, a permit is required: “For this, an employee must apply for a work visa, fly to the Russian Federation and obtain a permit, only on the basis of this document the company can accept a foreigner.” At the same time, she clarifies, the permit can be canceled if the specialist is not in the Russian Federation for more than 180 days.

The head of the board of directors of Basalt SPO, Alexei Smirnov, confirms that “it is necessary to ensure the possibility of simplified recruitment of foreign specialists for remote work, regardless of their citizenship.”

“This will help solve the problem of shortage of personnel. In all countries, they are hired remotely without additional requirements, while in our country an employee has to come,” emphasizes Mr. Smirnov.

Ilya Sivtsev, General Director of Astra Group of Companies, confirmed that the company is ready to pay for the return of Russians, and “it’s not against attracting IT specialists from other countries for open projects, but if they move to Russia, and not work remotely.” Details about the fact that Russian IT companies are considering attracting specialists from India, Israel, China, “Kommersant” told on April 21.

However, the government does not yet consider the issue relevant. The Ministry of Digital Development assured Kommersant that they are already implementing an extensive range of measures to support IT personnel: “Measures are also in place to attract foreign specialists. A simplified procedure for employment and obtaining a residence permit has been introduced. There have been no requests to further simplify the recruitment of foreign specialists who work remotely.” At the beginning of the year, the ministry with specialized associations was preparing a package of measures for the return of IT specialists to the Russian Federation. It included airfare, guaranteed reservations from the army, and higher taxes for employees working from other countries (see “Kommersant” dated January 11).

It is easier to attract foreign specialists to companies that have representative offices in other countries – in this case, no additional documents are required, says Dmitry Parshin, director of the Artezio development center (part of the Lanit group). However, he emphasizes that the requirements for wages and working conditions for foreign workers are higher than for Russian ones. Therefore, Mr. Parshin doubts that the demand for foreigners will be high.

Timofey Kornev