Employment of Central Asian Migrant Workers in Russia during the COVID‑19 Pandemic

Abstract

In the context of the COVID‑19 pandemic and the economic crisis in Russia, the labour market has changed, affecting the foreign labour force, which is an important category of it. In these changed conditions, the study of the employment of labour migrants from Central Asia is becoming more relevant. Based on a sociological study conducted by the author in Russia in 2020–2021 among 900 labour migrants from Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan in the cities of Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg, the type and scope of their employment at home are analysed. The type and scope of their employment in Russia, the method of finding a job and competition with Russians, the type of colleagues and the length of stay in Russia are analysed. The analysis analyses the average monthly and hourly wages in Russia on average per year in rouble and dollar terms and participation in the formation of the family budget at home, the existence of a written agreement with the employer and the reasons for its absence in Russia during the COVID‑19 pandemic in the country and gender sections.