Digital platform aggregators in Russia may be required to ensure that their users, including couriers and taxi drivers, comply with migration laws. This follows from a new version of the employment platform bill reviewed by Vedomosti.

A representative of the Ministry of Labor of Russia told Vedomosti that the new bill would prevent migrants without the necessary documents from providing services in Russia.  The new draft law mandates platform operators to ensure compliance with migration laws, thereby excluding undocumented migrants from offering services.

In addition to this requirement, the bill authors have proposed several new obligations for aggregators.  Andrey Isayev, head of the working group on the document, notes that the discussion on the bill, which has lasted for about two years, is nearing its final stage before being submitted for consideration to the State Duma (Russia’s lower house of parliament).  

According to Isayev, the document will be submitted to the State Duma until the end of the session, which ends on August 4.  

The law is expected to come into effect on March 1, 2025.

The version discussed on July 10 is not final, as "social partners" (representatives of trade unions, etc.) have provided feedback on the project.  Minor changes will be made, such as allowing platform workers to join trade unions.

A digital platform aggregator is an automated information system that allows an unlimited or conditionally unlimited number of users to access its capabilities via the internet and solve their technological or functional tasks automatically.  

The authors of the bill have proposed 19 obligations for platforms, up from the previous eight. For example, platforms will be required to offer preferences to users who independently contribute to pension, social, and medical insurance programs. Previously, this was optional for platforms.

The new version removes the possibility of fining users for improper order fulfillment, limiting penalties to restricting access to the platform and applying measures specified in civil contracts.

The regulation will apply only to platforms included in the digital platforms registry maintained by the Federal Tax Service (FNS). Registration will be mandatory, not voluntary as initially proposed. This change will not affect classified ads sites (such as "Avito," Profi.ru, and YouDo) or those related to employment and real estate services (like CIAN, "Ostrovok," and Booking).

Failure to register as a platform could lead to the reclassification of relationships with service providers as employment relationships, necessitating the payment of social insurance contributionsю

A study by the National Research University Higher School of Economics (HSE University) showed that the average income of Russians working regularly or occasionally through various online platforms increased by over 40% in two years—from 15,000 to 21,300 rubles per month. The average monthly income from such employment grew the most (by 55%) for those who consider it their main job—from 31,500 to 48,800 rubles.

The proposed law reportedly aims to tighten control over the employment of migrants in Russia, ensuring that only those with the necessary documentation can work through digital platforms. This move is part of a broader effort to regulate platform-based employment, improve legal compliance, and potentially enhance the economic benefits for legal workers in this sector. The bill's implementation will be closely watched, given its significant implications for both service providers and platform operators.

Tajikistan is Central Asia's poorest country and one of the most remittance-dependent countries in the world.

Accurately determining the number of Tajik labor migrants in Russia is challenging due to significant discrepancies in official data from both countries.

Russian statistics indicate that more than 1.5 million Tajik citizens live and work in Russia, while Tajikistan’s relevant authorities claim the number is less than 1 million.

According to Tajikistan's Ministry of Labor, Migration and Employment of the Population, just over 600,000 people left the country for labor migration in 2023.

However, Russian migration authorities report that over 800,000 Tajik labor migrants entered Russia in search of work in the first nine months of the year alone.