The St. Petersburg city administration plans to attract foreign workers to urban cleaning tasks after they were banned from working in trade and several other sectors. This was announced by the city's Vice-Governor, Yevgeny Razumishkin. According to the official, the city administration is preparing for various labor force flow scenarios, but a mass transition of migrants into the utility sector is not expected.
City services are planning to increase wages to attract foreign employees. Specifically, starting January 1, 2027, janitors are set to receive a monthly salary of 77,000 rubles, while machine operators will earn 112,000 rubles. Additionally, service housing is being offered to ensure employment for staff. Currently, more than 1,300 workers in the sector are provided with special rooms or apartments.
As a reminder, the list of sectors prohibited for foreigners working under labor patents has been expanded in St. Petersburg. The restrictions cover retail trade, certain medical services, and the beauty industry. A transition period has been set for employers until December 15, 2026, to adapt to these changes.
Previously, the city government had attempted to recruit migrants for janitorial work after the ban on working under patents in taxi and courier services. However, officials noted that the expected influx of labor was not observed at that time.
