Kathrine Frich
The presidential commissioner for children’s rights, wants to put minors to work.
When those hands suddenly vanish, foreign backers panic. Often, the only solution is to look for help in unexpected places.
According to United24Media, Chinese financial backers are struggling to find skilled talent inside Russia. This is slowing down major projects.
The issue took centre stage at a recent economic gathering in St. Petersburg. Hua Xie, a leader at the Union of Chinese Entrepreneurs in Russia, spoke out about the problem.
A shrinking workforce
“Over the past three years, we have been holding regular meetings of Chinese investors and the Russian Ministry of Economic Development. The main question at these meetings is what needs to be done to encourage Chinese investors to enter the Russian market. There are many issues faced by foreign investors in Russia. First of all, these are tax policy issues and the attraction of foreign personnel,” he said, according to The Moscow Times.
The massive business group represents nearly 4,000 different companies. Since 2022, these organisations have watched the local workforce shrink at an alarming rate.
Military drafts and border departures have drained the talent pool. This stark reality is hitting major infrastructure projects very hard.
Energy sector fears
“Large energy investors are worried about staffing shortages, and in some cases there is a lack of specialists. There are also questions about sanctions and asset freezes, taxes and fees, and banking regulation,” Hua Xie stated.
Despite the hurdles, he maintained a positive outlook for the future. “Overall, Chinese investors view the market with optimism. Many of us worked before sanctions, during sanctions, and will remain after sanctions.”
Russian officials are well aware of the unfolding crisis. The head of the central bank, Elvira Nabiullina, recently noted that the country has never faced such a severe lack of staff.
Turning to teenagers
Desperate to fill empty factory floors, the government is floating an unusual idea. Maria Lvova-Belova, the presidential commissioner for children’s rights, wants to put minors to work.
Lvova-Belova, who faces an international arrest warrant over the deportation of Ukrainian children, claimed that most citizens support early employment for teenagers. She argued that young people want to earn real money rather than doing low-value tasks like “painting the grass.”
Putting teenagers to work builds maturity, she claimed. Early paychecks, in her view, will encourage these young workers to start families sooner.
Sources: U24 Media, The Moscow Times
