A proposal has been submitted to the Russian Ministry of Labor to introduce a new procedure for employers. According to it, companies will be required to verify that there are no suitable candidates among local applicants before hiring foreign citizens.
Under this initiative, the employer must first post the vacancy on the 'Rabota v Rossii' (Work in Russia) digital platform. Subsequently, the employment service will search for Russian candidates who meet the specified requirements. If no suitable candidate is found, the company will be granted permission to hire a foreign worker.
Furthermore, the proposed salary and working conditions for a foreign employee must not be superior to those offered to Russian candidates. This mechanism is proposed to protect the domestic labor market and ensure the efficient use of existing personnel.
Currently, although there is an established general quota for attracting foreign workers, there is no unified mechanism for pre-screening local candidates for each individual vacancy. If this proposal is adopted, the process of hiring foreigners may become more complex for employers due to this additional stage.
