About 5 million labor migrants need to be attracted to construction sites in Russia until 2024, Russian Deputy Prime Minister, Marat Husnulin, noted yesterday at a meeting with heads of regions, according to Interfax.ru.  

Now there is an acute shortage of labor resources  both because of closure of borders due to the coronavirus pandemic and the demographic failure of the 1990s, Husnulin said, noting that labor shortages are the biggest constraints on development opportunities in Russia.  

Regional administrators need to clearly understand how many jobs there are, how many Russian specialists can be found, and how much need to attract foreign workers, Russian official noted.     

At least 5 million labor migrants are required until 2024, the vice-premier said.  

Meanwhile Russian media reports noted in December last year that Russia lost 5 million migrants during the coronavirus pandemic.  Migrant numbers were down by almost 50 percent last year. 

According to data released by the Russian Interior Ministry in December 2020, almost half of all migrants living in Russia before the coronavirus pandemic left the country last year.

Since the early 1990s, the Russian Federation has been the biggest receiving, sending and transit country for migrant workers in Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

Russia relies on incoming workers from Central Asia to stem a demographic crisis.