The Russian government may launch a pilot project for the organized recruitment of foreign labor in 2027. The Interior Ministry and other relevant agencies are expected to finalize preparations for the trial in 2026.
The proposed system is based on a registry model. Instead of obtaining permits and searching for jobs after arriving in Russia, foreign workers would first pass necessary checks in their home countries and then be assigned directly to specific employers. While the target scale for this program remains unclear, officials from the Interior Ministry have indicated they believe it is feasible to channel a significant portion of foreign labor through this structured model.
A key challenge with such an organized recruitment system is flexibility. Even if effective for large enterprises, it may not suit the needs of small and medium-sized businesses. Furthermore, companies of all sizes could become dependent on the accuracy of government forecasts for labor demand.
This approach, however, is not without precedent. Economist Sergei Khestanov, an associate professor at RANEPA, points to the 1981-1994 intergovernmental agreement with Vietnam, which enabled the employment of approximately 100,000-120,000 Vietnamese workers in Russia. Under their contracts, the workers received about 40% of their earnings personally, while the remainder was transferred to Vietnam to service the national debt to the USSR.
“That cooperation was considered quite successful, as was a smaller-scale but effective collaboration with North Korea. So, the past experience of organized recruitment for industrial work could very well be relevant again today,” the expert notes.