Russian firms looking for migrant workers in Africa due to labour shortages

Russian companies have started looking for workers in Africa amid a growing labour shortage caused by the war in Ukraine.

Source: Russian online newspaper The Moscow Times, citing data from the recruitment service hh.ru.

Details: The newspaper notes that the number of vacancies for African workers increased 10-fold in the first half of 2024.

The number of vacancies from Russian companies saw the highest increase in Kenya, soaring 39 times from 161 vacancies in the first half of 2023 to 6,400 in the first half of 2024. Zimbabwe experienced a 15-fold rise, Cameroon a 9-fold increase, and Zambia an 8-fold growth. Additionally, Algeria saw a sevenfold surge, reaching 1,700 vacancies.

The number of invitations for foreign workers increased by 68%, for agricultural specialists by 63%, and for workers in the field of raw materials extraction and construction by 53% and 51% respectively.

"The recruitment of migrants for labourers and construction workers (generally for low-skilled positions) is traditionally typical for Central Asian countries, and this year – for a number of African countries," says Natalia Danina, the chief labour market expert at hh.ru.

Background: The Russian State Duma (lower chamber of the Russian parliament) predicts a collapse in property prices in Russia.

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