Labor migrants can leave Russia due to a decrease in the ruble exchange rate

Migrant income is declining as a result of the weakening of the ruble against the dollar and the euro. 
A third of labor migrants can leave Russia due to the weakening of the ruble in relation to the dollar and the euro, and the resulting decrease in income. This was predicted by Bahrom Ismailov, the leader of the Uzbek diaspora in Moscow, "Vedomosti"wrote. 

According to a survey of representatives of the Uzbek Diaspora, 50% of respondents are thinking about leaving Russia due to an increase in the dollar exchange rate, 25% do not plan to do this, and 25% have not yet considered it. A total of about 23,000 people participated in the online survey. 

From the end of June, the ruble began to weaken compared to the main foreign valutes. On August 14, during trading on the Moscow exchange, for the first time since the end of March 2022, the dollar rate exceeded 101 rubles, and euro-110 rubles. On August 15, after the Bank of Russia announced an extraordinary meeting of the Board of Directors on the issue of the basic rate, the ruble began to strengthen. 

According to Ismailov, due to the growth of the dollar exchange rate, the income of foreign citizens in Russia has decreased and is increasingly approaching their income in their homeland. In his opinion, the exodus of labor migrants can be observed, first of all, in the least paid areas - retail, catering, cleaning, delivery service, agriculture, etc.

In 2021, the average salary of labor migrants in Russia was 47.1 thousand rubles, according to a study by experts from Moscow State University and the public organization of the Federation of Russian migrants. The highest salary at that time was recorded among migrants who worked in construction and repair - 54 thousand rubles, the lowest - among those who were engaged in agriculture - 37 thousand rubles. The 2022 figures for salaries are not known. 

However, not everyone has the opportunity to leave Russia. Vadim Kozhyenov, an expert on migration issues, said in an interview with Vedomosti that not all migrants come to Russia just to earn money. 

"Many people come to live a completely different life," Kozhyenov said. 

In his opinion, due to the weakening of the ruble, a truly foreign labor force can go out, but this does not exceed 10% of migrants working in Russia. 

According to the Ministry of Labor of Russia, the All-Russian Research Institute of labor protection and economics, by 2030, the need for labor migrants in Russia can reach 3.5 million people per year. 

According to the Ministry of Labor, the demand for foreign workers is mainly high in the retail, transport, service and construction sectors.