The Ministry of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation (Министерство труда и социальной защиты Российской Федерации; Минтруд России), Russia’s federal authority responsible for labour policy, has published for public consultation a draft providing for a reduction in the permitted share of foreign workers in 10 regions compared with the previous figures. In eight constituent regions of the Russian Federation, such restrictions are proposed for the first time. At this stage, this is not a current obligation but a draft that should be monitored through official publications.
Project status: workforce decisions do not change yet
The main practical fact for an employer is that the document is at the public consultation stage. This means that, based on the material provided, the current rules have not yet changed. The proposed figures cannot be treated as having already entered into force or applied as mandatory requirements for the current headcount.
The material does not state the deadlines for the public consultation, adoption of the draft or entry into force of the final act. Therefore, workforce changes should be planned cautiously: record the risk for the affected areas, but do not draw conclusions about a specific date by which the ratio of workers must be changed.
Which companies may come under scrutiny
The draft is addressed to employers that use foreign workers in the regions and types of activity covered by the document. A reduction in the permitted share is proposed for 10 regions. At the same time, restrictions of this type are proposed for the first time in eight regions, so local companies should be especially careful not to apply to themselves rules in force in other constituent regions without checking the text of the draft.
At the federal level, restrictions for pharmacy retail and trade through non-stationary retail facilities are also planned to remain in place. This fact alone does not make it possible to determine whether a specific organisation is covered by the restriction: the source material does not disclose the list of regions, types of activity or numerical figures. These details should be sought in the official text of the draft.
How to incorporate the check into workforce controls
It is useful for an employer to compare two parameters: the organisation’s region of operation and its actual type of activity. The check is needed in precisely this order because the notice refers to regional changes and to the continuation of federal restrictions for certain retail sectors. No general conclusion about the draft’s impact on all employers can be drawn.
For the HR function, this is a reason to organise monitoring, not grounds to immediately amend contracts, stop hiring or revise the headcount. The employer may appoint a person responsible for monitoring the official publication, save a link to the draft and prepare a list of units that will require assessment after the act is adopted. The source data do not specify a particular methodology for calculating the share.
What to check after publication of the final act
If the document is adopted, the reference point should be the official final wording, not the notice about the draft. It is necessary to confirm that the relevant region and type of activity remain covered, and also to read the conditions and deadlines for entry into force. The proposal published for discussion may differ from the final text.
This approach reduces the risk of an incorrect workforce decision. It gives the company grounds to distinguish confirmed requirements from preliminary information and assess the impact on hiring only after the final rules have been issued. For now, the verified material does not establish any new consequences for employers.
What to check
- Open the official text of the draft on regulation.gov.ru, the Russian government portal for publishing draft regulatory acts and public consultations.
- Check whether the organisation’s region of operation is specified in the draft.
- Check whether the employer’s activities fall within the restrictions mentioned in the draft.
- Take separate account of the fact that federal restrictions are planned to remain in place for pharmacy retail and trade through non-stationary retail facilities.
- Do not treat the draft as a current rule until the final act is published.
- After adoption, compare the official wording of the document and the deadlines for its entry into force.