Zatulin: we can’t do without migrants
The Russian economy lacks more than 2 million pairs of workers; only migrants can fill the vacancies.
Konstantin Zatulin, First Deputy Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on CIS Affairs, announced this to journalists in the Russian State Duma today, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
“Just some numbers. There are 72 million workers today in the Russian Federation, of which 3 million are officially labor migrants. And another 2 million or more are officially vacant positions in our economy. We are missing two million people. We already understand, especially with the beginning of the Northern Military District, that it would be better to produce everything we need within the country with our own hands. But we will not be able to do without migrant workers in the near future,” Zatulin insisted.
According to him, the share of migrants in Russian crime is only 2%. At the same time, the number of crimes increases, and the number of criminals decreases, since supposedly the same people commit several crimes.
Russia has quotas for attracting migrants to the industry. In construction the quota is 50%, in trade – 15%, in transport – 24%.
“Let's understand: we can't do without them. This does not mean that they should all be recognized as compatriots or given simplified citizenship. But treating them with respect, creating conditions for them to work legally, so that their children receive an education in Russian, we are interested in this,” says Zatulin.
According to him, in recent years, 9 new Russian schools have been opened in Kyrgyzstan and 5 in Tajikistan, in addition to the 60 that have been operating in Central Asia since Soviet times. Zatulin announced the holding of parliamentary hearings on migration policy in the first half of 2024.
Zatulin : We Can't Do Without Migrants