For residents of Russia, changes to the labor law are being prepared, according to which they may be moved to these regions where there is a shortage of workers. This is stated in the latest report of the British intelligence, published on the social network X.
As noted in the summary, Russia is currently experiencing a labor shortage, which is becoming a serious problem in some industries. According to Izvestia estimates, in 2023 there will be a shortage of 4.8 million workers in Russia. For example, the Russian transport and logistics industry failed to fill 25% of truck driver vacancies in 2023.
According to British Intelligence, the labor shortage was at least partly caused by Russia's war against Ukraine, which led to the mobilization of some of the working population and the emigration of some skilled workers who wanted to avoid conscription. More recently, labor shortages have been exacerbated by restrictions on migrant employment imposed following the terrorist incident in Moscow on March 22, 2024.
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As a result of the labor shortage, a group of Russian parliamentarians is considering possible amendments to the Russian Labor Code. If passed, it would mean that surplus labor could be moved under state supervision to a workplace where there is a labor shortage, it said.
"The transfers will be temporary and the workers will be transferred only with their consent. However, although this is not mandatory, it is a potential step towards manpower mobilisation," says the British Ministry of Defence.
Let us recall that serfdom was abolished in Russia in 1861 at about the same time as slavery in the southern states of the USA. Serfdom for peasants in the countryside and labor service for urban workers were restored in 1917 after the Bolshevik coup. The restrictions were partially lifted in the 1950s, but remained in place until the collapse of the USSR in 1991.