OREANDA-NEWS   In 2022, the influx of migrant workers to Russia increased by a third, experts of the audit and consulting network FinExpertiza estimated. Last year, the number of foreign citizens who came to work amounted to 3.47 million, which is 871 thousand more than in 2021.

Analysts stated that every fourth foreigner entered Russia for the sake of earning money, although before the coronavirus pandemic, only every eighth crossed the border for employment. "More than 90 percent of the increase in foreign labor force accounted for Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan in total. The number of migrant workers from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Vietnam, Moldova, Turkey, Turkmenistan and China has also increased significantly," the study says.

According to estimates, a total of 13 million foreigners crossed the Russian border in 2022, more than a quarter (26.6 percent) indicated work as the purpose of arrival. Compared to the pre-crisis times, the number of labor migrants decreased by 15.3 percent. The share of foreign workers is high in the field of working specialties. "Against the background of a shortage of personnel, the salaries of couriers, drivers, repairmen, storekeepers, movers and builders began to grow. The Russian market has gained additional attractiveness for foreigners due to the strengthening of the ruble exchange rate, thanks to which earnings in terms of foreign currencies have increased significantly," Elena Trubnikova, head of FinExpertiza, drew attention.

Judging by the data of the Ministry of Internal Affairs for the past year, the total number of facts of migration registration of foreign workers, including extensions of registrations and re-registration, amounted to 11.8 million. More than 40 percent of registrations were in Moscow and the Moscow region, in 12.8 percent of cases, foreign workers were registered in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region. The number of regions attracting numerous labor resources from abroad also includes Krasnodar Krai, Irkutsk, Sverdlovsk and Amur Regions, Primorsky Krai, Tatarstan, as well as Krasnoyarsk Krai.