Skilled hands from India fill Russia's growing labour gap

Russia is the new Gulf for India's blue-collar workforce, as the Eurasian country taps its vast pool of skilled welders, tailors and steel fixers.

- Devina Sengupta & Abhishek Law

Companies handling recruiting for overseas jobs noted increased hiring from Russia in the last few years, as the country navigates a grinding war and a shrinking workforce.

Hiring of Indian workers is up 60% in the last four years, recruitment firms specializing in overseas jobs said, adding it is expected to grow after the two long time partners recently agreed to enhance labour mobility. To be sure, the high growth comes on a low base.

"We used to send 300 welders a year from India for the oil and gas industry between 2018 and 2020-21. Since then, we send 500 every year, and the demand will increase in the future. Russian companies now need tailors, carpenters, steel fixers, welders, steel reinforcement workers, tin smiths, and insulators in large numbers," said Siddhartha Mallick, co-founder and managing director of Globe skills International Pvt. Ltd, an overseas recruitment company.

Russia's population is ageing and declining, like in most developed nations. In July, its labour minister said the country will need to add 11 million workers by the end of the decade.