‘There are almost 50 thousand vacancies on the market — 12 places are ready to be offered to an unemployed at once’

This market belongs to job seekers — 49k vacancies

Without exaggeration, the year 2023 can be called the year of the applicant — it was them who ruled the ball in the labour market, almost all speakers at the annual board meeting of the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Protection of the Republic of Tatarstan repeated as a mantra. Such an agiotage did not happen, the head of the department, Elmira Zaripova, admitted to journalists before the start of the event. The reason for concern is the growing shortage of personnel, provoked by partial mobilisation and the growth of domestic production. Suffice it to say that the construction of the M12 pulled a lot of male power from the construction complex of the republic, the personnel officers told Realnoe Vremya. Scarcely a month passed without representatives of enterprises resorted to the services of recruitment agencies.

“The year 2023 presented us with serious challenges. And the most important one is to provide personnel for priority sectors of the economy," Elmira Zaripova noted in the report. According to her, currently 49 thousand vacancies remain in the labour market of the republic. The biggest shortage is observed in industry, where 12 thousand vacancies are offered. 3.5 thousand vacancies have been opened in the field of transport, 2.4 thousand vacancies — in healthcare, 1.6 thousand vacancies — in education," she listed.

At the same time, the unemployment rate is at a historic low. Last year, 31 thousand people applied to the employment authorities and for the first time in history, 70 percent of the unemployed were employed in the first month. “This is the job seekers market — 49 thousand vacancies!” the minister exclaimed.

According to her, nearby enterprises are luring workers away not only with high salaries, but also thinking about expanding the social package. KAMAZ has built a rental house, someone is compensating for the payment of rental housing, mortgage loans. The enterprises began to show unusual generosity last year. Kazan enterprises began to hire people without work experience, teaching them working skills during three-month courses. There is no other way out of the personnel crisis yet.

However, there are not enough jobs. The reality is that the maximum number of jobs is concentrated in the industrial centres of the republic. “On average, there are 12 vacancies per unemployed person. But we have 194 vacancies in Yelabuga, 40 vacancies in Laishevsky district, even more in Zelenodolsk, but there is no such overabundance of jobs in remote areas," Elmira Zaripova said.

To overcome the distortions, KAMAZ and a number of other companies began to transfer local assembly work to other cities with excess labour. Such experience has been implemented in Mendeleevsk, the head of the department said. Here, the automobile plant has opened over 100 jobs for the assembly of special wires, which also involves pensioners.

Due to the general shortage of personnel, Tatarstan was among the leaders in terms of wages. By the beginning of the year, it had grown by 18% and reached almost 60 thousand rubles. At the same time, differentiation remains high: 36 thousand rubles remain in the catering and hotel business. “It is necessary to observe the minimum wage," Zaripova recommended.

Kazan Gunpowder factory began to hire convicts

The republic's military-industrial complex continues to be particularly acute in personnel. Here a proven technique is used — luring with money. Since the beginning of the special military operation, the Kazan Gunpowder Factory has been able to close more than 500 engineering and technical and job vacancies that appeared with the expansion of production, Alexander Livshits, the director general of the Kazan Gunpowder Factory, told at the board meeting. Additional personnel has been attracted due to a multiple increase in wages, from 25 to 90 thousand rubles.

Due to the growth of the state defence order, the company is going to attract 800 more employees this year, he said. “Ideally, we need another 2 thousand people, and this is a minimum," he clarified, pointing out that by the end of the year the number of the enterprise had grown to almost 4 thousand people. The shortage of personnel hit so hard that the defence industry began hiring convicts. This year, Kazan Powder Factory employed 118 people for the first time. “The Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia has provided employment opportunities for 118 people, 40 more are being processed. Of course, this helps our company," admitted the director general.

In general, over 23 thousand employees were attracted to defence industry enterprises last year, which made it possible to close 50% of vacancies.

Mother on maternity leave: they can work and receive benefits in full

Yaroslav Nilov, the head of the State Duma Committee on Labour and Social Policy, enlivened the audience with fresh legislative initiatives that will make women not only happier, but also richer. These are, of course, children. “Even those who are in an extrauterine state allow a woman to receive social support measures," he joked. Joking aside, then from January 1 of this year, a woman on maternity leave can combine child care with work and she will not be deprived of benefits. “An end has been put to a long discussion regarding the possibility of a woman receiving child care benefits for up to 1.5 years and working," he said. “Until recently, this issue has not been fully defined. The Labour Code allowed working at home or part-time. Together, we did not allow amendments that only a maximum of 60 percent of the time a woman on maternity leave could work, and then the allowance would be preserved. Thank God, the bill did not come out. The point was made by the president, who allowed a woman to work and receive benefits in full on maternity leave.”

Now a new initiative regarding sick leave is being developed in the depths of the committee. The goal is to make sure that you do not lose money while on sick leave and continue to work. “It would be beneficial to everyone, but without harming the health of the employee.”

More than 11 million children in the country will receive child benefits

Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Protection of Russia Andrey Pudov reported on measures to support families with children. According to him, the state is consistently expanding measures to support families with children. At the instruction of the head of the state, an integrated support system has been launched since January 1, 2023, last year more than 11 million children and more than 380 thousand pregnant women received a single benefit. Of these, 7.5 million children received the maximum amount — 100% of the subsistence minimum. 1.3 trillion rubles are provided for next year, and another 300 billion rubles — from regional budgets. Insurance guarantees for families with children have been extended since January 1, 2024. A mother or her relative can receive child care benefits even if they are fully employed.

The most important measure is to support the birth rate. Last year, support programmes were adopted in all regions, and Tatarstan's programme was among the best. It is aimed at improving the demographic situation in the republic.

The social contract will remain an effective tool in the fight against poverty. There were 5.4 thousand in the republic, of which 82 percent were able to raise income. According to Demography national project, over 250 thousand people over the age of 60 were able to undergo medical examination. Since 2019, Tatarstan has participated in a pilot project for the care of the elderly, receiving more than 350 million rubles. Since September 1, the SDO has been extended to all regions of the country, 83 social institutions and 93 medical organisations participate in the system of long-term care for the elderly, that is, coverage is becoming wider. Last year, more than 6 thousand people received services.