Olga Magomedova, Researcher at the Gaidar Institute’s International Best Practices Analysis Department spoke to Finam about the risks facing the Russian economy amid a labor shortage.
According to the expert, against the backdrop of record-low unemployment, the Russian economy is facing a growing labor shortage, which is accompanied by a rise in part-time employment. Olga Magomedova notes the contradictory nature of the current situation in the labor market:
“According to the Central Bank’s ‘Regional Economy’ report, in the fourth quarter of 2025, the number of part-time workers stood at 1,582,000, which is 22.9% higher than in the fourth quarter of 2024.”
According to her, the rise in part-time employment reflects businesses’ adaptive behavior. When there are insufficient resources to pay staff, companies resort to a strategy of retaining staff by reducing the cost of their employment.
At the same time, Olga Magomedova believes this model also poses risks to the economy.
“A period of part-time employment can lead to a decline in labor productivity. The problem is exacerbated by the fragmentation of employment. If an employee is forced to take on side jobs to compensate for lost income, they switch between various tasks, which reduces efficiency and limits professional growth,” emphasized Olga Magomedova.
As a solution, the expert suggests changing approaches to work organization.
“Employers today need to optimize business processes in a way that increases labor productivity, for example, by automating routine processes and reducing unnecessary operations,” concluded Olga Magomedova.