There is a significant gap in the Russian labor market between job seekers’ expectations and employers’ offers, which is especially acute among older workers and college graduates. As Lyubov Filin, Head of Evidence-Based Regulatory Practice Department at the Gaidar Institute, noted in a comment for Nezavisimaya Gazeta, a so-called wage boom was not universal.
"The gap in expectations among older job seekers is often related to the need to maintain a customary standard of living amid high inflation. College graduates often overestimate market opportunities without sufficient professional experience. Inflated expectations are developed not only under the influence of the media landscape, where reports on wage growth sound optimistic, but also under the pressure of real costs: high mortgage rates, rising prices for goods and services in everyday life. The so-called "wage boom" turned out to be not universal: it was felt more by certain industries rather than by large segments of the population," the expert noted.