Demand for migrants remains in the Moscow labor market

It is difficult to imagine the economy and daily life of Moscow without the participation of migrants. Urban infrastructure, particularly construction, housing and utility services, courier services, and the catering sector, are highly dependent on foreign workers. As noted by Sergey Vilkov, editor-in-chief of the "Rahmat.ru" platform, despite the tightening of migration legislation, the demand for labor in the capital is not decreasing.

In the first half of 2026, the number of labor migrants across Russia decreased by nearly 10 percent, totaling 5.7 million people. At the same time, the number of foreigners in the construction sector increased by 5 percent compared to the average of the last decade. Currently, 99 percent of foreign nationals working in the Russian market with patents are citizens of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, and Azerbaijan.

According to economic forecasts, the Russian economy will require about 12 million new workers by 2032. Experts emphasize that the process of attracting workers from distant countries (India, Pakistan, DPRK, etc.) is complex and costly, and due to language barriers and training expenses, workers from Central Asia will retain their positions.

According to official statistics, the rate of offenses committed by foreigners is significantly lower than their share in the total population. State policy is aimed not at expelling migrants from the country, but at directing them to the most essential sectors of the economy. For this reason, job vacancies for foreigners remain open in Moscow and surrounding regions in the fields of construction, warehousing, and manufacturing.