Alexey Zamnius, Researcher of the Mathematical Modeling of Economic Processes Department at the Gaidar Institute, explained to RBC the reasons behind the rise in starting salaries for young professionals and the impact of the labor shortage on the Russian economy.
The expert noted that companies are competing more aggressively for employees and are therefore willing to offer higher pay right from the start of their careers. This trend is particularly noticeable in construction, manufacturing, logistics, and other blue-collar professions, where the labor shortage remains most acute. As a result, the pay gap between entry-level and experienced workers is gradually narrowing.
“The rise in starting salaries today reflects not so much a sharp increase in the value of young professionals’ labor as the ongoing labor shortage. Employers have to compete for staff, so they are narrowing the pay gap between entry-level and experienced employees. This trend is particularly noticeable in blue-collar professions, where a young professional can be nearly as effective as a more experienced worker right from the start,” noted Alexey Zamnius.
According to him, if the labor shortage persists, employers will continue to use wage growth as one of their main tools for attracting employees. At the same time, the labor market will adapt by increasing productivity, adopting new technologies, and redistributing the workforce across industries.