Heading east: Tatarstan attracts workforce from India
The republic’s needs total 88,000 people
A severe and prolonged labour shortage in Russia has forced employers to turn their attention to foreign specialists, with a focus on workers from India. Conversely, India is interested in securing employment opportunities for its citizens abroad. Russian employers, particularly in Tatarstan, see significant potential in this and are eager not to miss the opportunity, creating increasing conditions to attract Indian workers. Russian-Indian cooperation was discussed at a roundtable during the business forum TIME: Russia — India. Mutual Efficiency. Read more in the report by Realnoe Vremya.
Number of working residents in Tatarstan has increased, but the demand for labour remains unmet
In Tatarstan, 58% of the population is considered economically active — more than 2 million people. This statistic was presented by Deputy Minister of Labour Klara Tazetdinova at the roundtable during the business forum TIME: Russia — India. Mutual Efficiency.
“The republic has seen a positive trend in the size of the workforce — driven by the growth of the employed population. Over the past five years, more than 75,000 people have entered employment, while unemployment has decreased by 30,000. In other words, we have attracted an additional segment of the population that was previously not engaged in work,” she said.
However, these results are not sufficient, as the planned production volumes in the republic will soon require an additional 53,000 employed people. The most acute labour shortages remain in the service sector, manufacturing, transport, and social services.
“There are several sectors where we expect a decrease in employment, which will allow us to redistribute labour more quickly to other industries. But in addition, every year we need to replace people who are retiring. On average, we are talking about a requirement of 88,000,” Tazetdinova explained.
Existing labour migration also does not fully fill the gap — incoming workers account for only 2% of total employment in Tatarstan (around 50,000 people). In this context, attention should be paid to Indian citizens, most of whom are highly qualified specialists.
Untapped potential
Given the nationwide trend and Tatarstan’s labour needs, cooperation with India appears advantageous. Currently, the total number of economically active people in India reaches 564 million, according to Kabir Jolly, managing director of East West Brothers Limited. Another 70 million are employed in other countries.
Meanwhile, in Tatarstan this year, 2,900 Indian citizens registered for migration, Tazetdinova noted. The majority — 1,500 people — came to the republic for education.
At the same time, she pointed out that more than 400 Indian citizens are employed across various enterprises in the republic. According to the deputy minister, 63.6% of them work in construction, 20.7% in manufacturing, and another 12.3% are employed in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone.
She also highlighted the main advantages of attracting Indian migrants:
- vast labour potential;
- high level of qualifications;
- cultural adaptability;
- language skills.
“In India, the population is quite large. These are people looking for work and better opportunities, seeking access to the international market. We support these people, our students, who want to study in other countries,” said Dana Kishore, Chief Secretary of the Indian Administrative Service, in response to a question from Real Time about the reasons for Indian migration to Russia.
Engineers, mechanics, medical professionals, and programmers can be attracted
Speaking about the sectors in which Indian specialists could be integrated, Dana Kishore noted that the country’s citizens are considered highly qualified. In particular, India can provide competent workers — engineers, as well as specialists in construction, mechanics, computer programming, medicine, IT, and the petrochemical industry.
“We train more than 100,000 engineers each year. We also have industrial institutes. Currently, there are between 1.5 million and 3 million engineers in our labour market who are ready to go to Russia. Trade between India and Tatarstan is growing, which leads to high demand for skilled personnel,” he said.
Tatarstan, in turn, offers conditions for incoming specialists. Russian language courses are provided at Kazan Federal University, according to Galina Mashtakova, a member of the Council on Personnel Policy under the President of the Republic of Tatarstan. In addition, each employer develops its own staff adaptation program, covering both workplace practices and organisational culture, as well as the culture of Tatarstan.
“From the Indian side, recruitment is already quite well developed, which cannot be said for countries in the near abroad — they had to be specifically trained for this. In India, they themselves monitor the quality of conditions provided by employers, the adaptation programs, living arrangements, and so on. Our recruitment agencies are also involved. For employers here, it becomes easier not only to bring in workers but also highly qualified specialists,” she added.
In addition, a Russian language training centre is planned to be established in India, Kishore noted:
“We have reached an agreement with one company — we need to create a Russian language training centre. Our representatives can come there and choose the sector where they plan to work. We do not yet know the demands that will arise over time. Perhaps we will develop in different directions. It is necessary to have interaction between the countries,” he concluded.