Moscow faces labor shortage of up to 500,000 workers, mayor says

Moscow is currently experiencing a shortage of 400,000 to 500,000 workers, a figure that is expected to grow in the coming years, Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin said, Report informs via Interfax.

Sobyanin noted that while it would be preferable to manage without immigrant labor, demographic and economic realities make this difficult.

"Of course, it would be better to do without migrants. But unfortunately, the demographic situation and the economy set different rules. Today, the shortage of labor resources in Moscow-that is, unfilled vacancies-ranges from 400,000

to 500,000 people. In the coming years, this shortage is likely to increase due to the demographic situation we are experiencing," he said.

The mayor added that despite certain social challenges associated with migration, the inflow of foreign labor provides a significant economic benefit to the capital.