Professor Safonov revealed the secret of the abnormally high earnings of guest workers
Russian enterprises have sharply increased wages for migrants. According to one of the specialized services, since the beginning of the year it has grown by 40% and today reaches the level of 150 thousand rubles per month. We are talking, first of all, about the earnings of migrant workers in construction professions: welder, concrete worker, monolayer, reinforcement worker. Why don’t the Russians spend even such a small amount of money?
Photo: Daria Lukashova
Now it is clear why the majority of Russian citizens are unable to buy a home, let alone take out a mortgage and pay the down payment. We don't earn 150 thousand. According to Rosstat, the average monthly nominal salary in Russia in 2023 was 73,709 rubles per month, that is, two times less than that of labor migrants.
Why does this happen? Do Russians really not want to work, even for big money? On the other hand, migrants are given all the conditions – just come! If a person from Central Asia or another CIS country already has a qualification, he immediately rushes into battle. If the person who arrived does not have such a qualification, but wants to earn 150 thousand, it’s not a problem either – they will teach him everything.
Last year, the labor shortage in our country was estimated at 4.8 million people. This is the population of a very large city, and, consequently, the acute shortage of labor has forced domestic companies to start looking for them not only within the neighboring countries, but also on the African continent: in Algeria, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia.
As for immigrants from the CIS countries, their influx has decreased almost twofold and worsened the overall situation on the labor market. It is clear that in such a situation, something needs to be done, to interest migrants with «long rubles». It is unclear why such a policy is not applied to Russian citizens? Let us recall that our average nominal salary is about 74 thousand rubles per month.
True, a foreman I know who works in a large construction company doubts that migrants – reinforcement workers, concrete workers, etc. – earn 150 thousand.
— But they get 100 thousand, and some even 120 thousand, — he says.
— They don't want to. And the thing is that migrants don't work 8 hours a day, as required by the Labor Code, but 12-14 hours. Sometimes, if concrete is being poured, they stay on the night shift, we call it «per day». It's hard. And they have 1-2 days off, not per week, but per month.
— They usually work on a piecework basis. You earn more with this scheme than with hourly pay. It all depends, for example, on the cost of pouring a cubic meter of concrete. If the team is friendly, the foreman understands the drawings, then their salary can reach 300 thousand rubles a month.
Russians, as a rule, come as a whole team and know what they are working for.
— There is probably no need to talk about qualifications. But there must be experience in this specialty, it is accumulated quite quickly. Yesterday's musician, for example, in a month or two begins to easily understand the features of formwork.
My interlocutor does not know what taxes migrant workers pay, he did not delve into the «accounting». «But they definitely pay some taxes.»
Professor of the Financial University under the Government of the Russian Federation Alexander Safonov agrees with the foreman: «everything is so.»
— Judging by the length of the working day, — he comments, — this salary, 100-120 thousand rubles, is paid for 1.5, or even 2 rates. If labor legislation standards were observed at construction sites, then people would receive 60 thousand rubles for an eight-hour working day. This is in the best case. It can be argued that salaries in the construction industry, with normal workload standards, remain low.
In addition, the working conditions there are difficult, and basic safety rules are often not observed — with the exception of helmets and gloves. Work often takes place in remote areas, without any amenities. Considering these circumstances, Russians are not very willing to go to construction.
— Let's measure it. The third category is far from the highest qualification of a machine operator. He works not 12 or 14 hours, but the legal 8, has paid vacation and medical insurance, two days off a week. His workplace meets standards and a certain production culture. Finally, a turner is a prestigious profession, unlike a builder.
— From whom do we hear such statements? From employers. In my opinion, it is their duty to improve working conditions and increase productivity not by increasing the workload on the employee, but by introducing new technologies. In China, construction companies are financing development in the 3D technology industry. Everyone does this, but not domestic entrepreneurs.
Our business pursues one goal — obtaining maximum profit without any re-equipment of production. This applies, of course, not only to the construction industry. However, with this approach we will not have enough migrants.