How war in Europe opens doors for Bangladeshi workers in Russia

Russia, traditionally a territory uncharted by Bangladeshi workers, is emerging as a lucrative destination for overseas employment as the impact of the Ukraine war has reshaped the employment landscape of the world's largest nation. 

After hiring shipbuilders from Bangladesh last year, Russian employers are once again looking to recruit 961 skilled and semi-skilled workers across 11 sectors through the state-owned recruiting agency, Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited.

This time, Russia is hiring Bangladeshi workers mostly for the construction, hospitality and transportation sectors, according to a public notice from Boesl in October. 

Noman Chowdhury, assistant general manager (Business Development), Boesl, told The Business Standard that the agency was exploring various countries in Europe where skilled workers can be sent from Bangladesh. 

"We expect more workers to go to Russia in the coming days," he added.

Nearly a million Russians may have left the country for various reasons, whether to escape military mobilisation or flee sanctions that have caused economic distress within the country, according to international media.

In response to supply challenges thrown up by the war, multiple Russian companies sought to hire 100 skilled shipbuilding workers from Bangladesh in November last year, with around 40 Bangladeshis already departing for Russia under this initiative.

Ali Haider Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (Baira), said private agencies previously initiated sending workers to Russia, but extreme cold made it impractical. 

"With new hiring through Boesl, there's an opportunity to expand. Given the labour shortage in Russia, we're exploring ways to send more workers," he added. 

Russia's manpower shortage

Russia's industrial worker shortage hit a peak in July this year, reaching 42%, as reported by The Moscow Times in August, citing a survey by the Yegor Gaidar Institute for Economic Policy. This surpassed April's record of 35%. 

Since President Putin's mobilisation campaign in September 2022 to address the manpower deficit, companies planning to hire have increased in number. 

According to Russia's central bank, worker shortages in Q1 2023 reached the highest level since 1998. 

The country experienced a decline of 1.33 million young workers between December 2021 and December 2022, with manufacturing, industrial mining, and transportation facing the most acute personnel shortage, according to the central bank survey.

New recruitment demand

According to Boesl, Russia is looking for mold operators, carpenters, crane operators, electric welders, steel fixers, electricians, instrumentation control and automation equipment and general workers (loaders).

Additionally, the advertised positions include roles such as storekeepers, housemaids, laundresses, cleaning women, flexible package-scale men, pig farm operators, grain processing operators, semi-skilled workers in sugar production, loaders in the railway transport sector, and loaders in the packaging sector.

The estimated monthly minimum salary is Tk37,000 to a maximum of Tk65,000. The candidates must have fluency in English or Russian.

The employing company will bear airfare for those taking up the job and return airfare on the completion of the job, which will be periodically adjusted from the employee's salary.

The estimated migration cost would be Tk70,000 to Tk90,000, including the Boesl service charge.

Already, Boesl has selected a number of candidates for the hospitality sector. 

Central Asian workers, traditionally employed in the construction, cleaning, and service sectors in Russia, have left due to the rouble's rise against the dollar amidst the war, said MH Rumon, a Bangladeshi-origin Russian citizen, told TBS over the phone on Thursday.

"To address labour shortages, Russia is turning to Asian countries, including Bangladesh, as it seeks to bolster its workforce in the face of its strained relations with Europe," he added. 

Educational migration to Russia

Russia was never a destination for Bangladeshi workers, but many students migrate to the country for higher education.

Since 1972, Bangladeshi students have been receiving scholarships under the Russian State Scholarship Scheme.

So far, about 6,000 Bangladeshi students have graduated from different universities in Russia.

Only 56 workers have been employed in Russia, among which 33 were employed this year, according to the Bureau of Manpower, Employment, and Training.