“Rossiyskaya Gazeta” reviewed the findings of the study “Development of a Methodology for Assessing the Impact of Artificial Intelligence and Automation on Labor Market Indicators,” prepared by the Digital Finance Research Laboratory and the Laboratory for Mathematical Modeling of Economic Processes at the Gaidar Institute, and highlighted the main points.
It was found that about 50 professions in Russia are simultaneously under dual technological pressure—they are subject to both traditional automation and the implementation of artificial intelligence. Among them are translators, journalists, designers, marketers, application programmers, and public relations specialists. These professions combine routine tasks with elements of creativity and communication—precisely what modern AI systems are becoming increasingly adept at performing.
The publication noted that the effects of different technologies vary. Automation is already putting real pressure on wages: an econometric analysis of data from the Russian Monitoring of Economic Conditions and Population Health (RMEC) for 2011–2024 showed that in professions with a high potential for automation, wage growth rates are slowing down or even declining. For example, in regions (excluding Moscow and St. Petersburg), the impact of automation on wage dynamics was statistically significant and negative.
Rossiyskaya Gazeta also noted a distinction: traditional automation primarily affects the “middle” of the labor market—technical specialists—while generative AI, on the contrary, is beginning to penetrate sectors previously considered safe: law, finance, teaching, and creative professions.
At the same time, the impact of artificial intelligence on wages has not yet been statistically detected—this means that a mass displacement of workers by AI has not yet occurred, although the potential risk for certain professions is high.
Unlike in Western countries, where “technological unemployment” is a hot topic, the situation in Russia is different. The unemployment rate remains at a record low—around 2.2–2.3%—and businesses are facing a labor shortage. Technology complements rather than replaces labor. However, as Rossiyskaya Gazeta quotes researchers, this complementarity does not always lead to wage growth: in vulnerable professions, even if employment is maintained, incomes may stagnate or decline.