Russia is facing a labor shortage and is recruiting Indian workers
Russia’s state-owned Sberbank, in partnership with the “Rabota.ru” service, has launched a platform for the mass hiring of foreign workers. India was the first country to be included: Russian companies can now search there for mechanics, welders, and other specialists amid an acute labor shortage in Russia.
Sberbank announced the launch of a digital platform designed to make it easier for Russian businesses to find and hire foreign workers. The system brings together employers, international recruiters, and Russian organizations that handle paperwork and coordinate the relocation of workers.
Workers from India are already available on the platform. Among them are mechanics, welders, and other specialists. Going forward, the Russian bank plans to expand the program to other countries. Sberbank explains this move simply: the Russian economy lacks workers. “The labor shortage in the Russian economy is currently estimated at 2.6 million people. For Russia, this is a significant figure, but at the same time, it is less than half a percent of the number of people employed in the Indian labor market. That is why India became the first country with which our digital platform began working,” said Anatoly Popov, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Sberbank.
According to him, it’s not enough for companies to simply find someone abroad. They need to process paperwork, resolve legal issues, organize the move, and help the employee adapt. “We want to help Russian businesses hire foreign specialists more quickly. This is more complicated than hiring within the country—there are more nuances to consider. Candidate selection, document preparation, legal issues, relocation, and adaptation to a new environment—our solution automates all these aspects, which is convenient for both the employer and the employee,” Popov said.
Where Russia Needs People the Most
The problem of labor shortages in Russia affects several industries at once. According to the latest surveys by the Russian Central Bank, companies’ staffing levels in the second quarter of 2026 remained lower than in 2022.
Agriculture has the greatest need for workers. Companies in this sector are even willing to raise wages, as they face a particularly acute shortage of workers during harvest time. In the third quarter, companies in the extractive and manufacturing industries, as well as producers of capital goods and electric power companies, also plan to increase hiring. In other words, this is not a matter of isolated job openings, but a widespread problem in the Russian labor market.
Russia is increasingly relying on migrants
Earlier, Sberbank CEO Herman Gref stated that Russia needs to attract millions of skilled migrants. According to his estimates, the labor shortage in the country could range from 2.8 to 5 million people in the coming years. Gref called attracting migrants the only quick and viable way to solve this problem.
At the same time, Russian authorities are trying to bring labor migration under greater control. In particular, officials have announced a significant increase in the minimum wage for highly skilled foreign workers. According to the Russian government’s plan, higher official wages and stricter controls over migrants’ incomes are intended to increase tax revenues and reduce the shadow economy.
Why Russia Is Looking for Workers Abroad
The labor shortage is becoming an increasingly serious problem for the Russian economy. Businesses need workers for manufacturing, construction, energy, agriculture, and other sectors. That is why Moscow is increasingly turning to the foreign labor market.
India has become the first major source of workers. Sberbank explains this choice by the size of the local labor market: even several million workers for Russia represent only a small fraction of the total workforce in India. At the same time, Russian businesses are already prepared to adapt to foreign workers and spend more resources on their relocation and onboarding.
Thus, the launch of Sberbank’s platform is yet another sign of the scale of Russia’s labor shortage. A country in need of millions of workers is now systematically trying to attract them from abroad, starting with one of the world’s largest labor markets—India. This is according to Russian media reports.
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