Personnel argument: logisticians rely on workers from abroad

Russian companies are increasingly attracting line staff from Asian countries. This approach is becoming a response to the growing demand of warehouse logistics and the transport industry, where pickers, storekeepers, loaders and drivers of warehouse equipment are especially in demand. To do this, the business organizes the relocation of specialists to Russia, undertakes the paperwork, payment for housing and support during the adaptation period. About why employers are expanding the geography of the search for employees, how organized recruitment takes place and what difficulties companies face, is in the Izvestia article.

Where do the workers come from

The situation on the Russian labor market forces businesses to change their approaches to personnel search. At individual facilities and in regions with high personnel competition, such as Moscow, companies cannot cover up to 20-30% of the need for line specialists, personnel and logistics companies told Izvestia. In general, about 1.5 million such workers are missing in Russia.

Therefore, business has become more active in attracting citizens from far abroad — Myanmar, India and Sri Lanka, said Arsen Badalyan, Deputy General Director of HR Capital.

"At large logistics facilities, the share of foreign employees among line staff reaches 30%, and during periods of seasonal increase in demand can increase to 35-40%," the expert noted. "Difficulties in providing enterprises with workers are associated with a combination of factors: persistently low unemployment, the active development of e—commerce, record volumes of warehouse space input, and an aging population. and reducing the available workforce. Salary growth remains one of the tools for attracting employees, but the possibilities of companies to further increase the wage fund are not unlimited.

In recent years, the number of workers coming from Kazakhstan and Belarus has been growing, added Sergey Peskov, president of the Association of Private Employment Agencies Trud. Employers are also considering Vietnam and a number of African countries.

The main driver of demand for line staff in logistics is the development of marketplaces, added Irina Pak, HR Director of 3PL operator NC Logistic. At the same time, the growth of online sales continues to support the need for employees to process orders.

"At the same time, it is easier for many job seekers to get a job at an order pick—up point near their home than to travel daily to large warehouse complexes that are usually located outside the city," she added. — As a result, logistics companies are forced to compete for employees not only with each other, but also with marketplaces, manufacturing enterprises and retail.

According to her, one of the ways to close the need for staff for the company was to attract foreign workers from abroad.

"This year we got a quota and hired 50 people from Myanmar," Irina Pak said. "However, getting a quota and organizing the arrival of people is only part of the task. It is equally important to process all necessary documents in a short time, comply with the requirements of migration legislation, adapt employees and bring them to planned productivity.

According to Roman Yerkhov, CEO of the TuBi consulting company, the need for drivers can only be met by 25-30%, while warehouse staff vacancies are filled by an average of 60-70%.

"Even the growth of wages no longer allows us to completely solve the problem," he noted. — The causes of the deficit are structural in nature. This is a demographic decline, a reduction in the personnel reserve, the active development of e-commerce and a constant increase in warehouse processing and delivery volumes.

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How foreign employees are provided

According to Oksana Tokareva, Director of Government Relations and Communications at Intrud Group, warehouse logistics ranks second after construction in terms of demand for foreign line workers. Movers, pickers, packers, packers, as well as drivers of stackers and loaders are most often hired from non-CIS countries, if they have rights, Trudorgnabor said.

In general, in 2025, the number of personnel from non-CIS countries in warehouse positions increased by 40%, said Dmitry Koltunov, head of recruitment and adaptation at the PEC.

With the organized involvement of foreign employees, companies take on most of the issues related to their placement and adaptation, Arsen Badalyan recalled.

"Companies pay for accommodation by signing contracts with dormitories that use automated migration and registration systems," he explained. — In addition, employers arrange for the delivery of employees to their place of work, help with paperwork, provide support in solving everyday issues, including opening bank accounts, visiting the MFC, searching for catering outlets, and, if necessary, learning the basics of the Russian language.

Salary offers for line staff from abroad start at $500 per month.

— The average income level in the homeland of such workers can be about $ 200, — said Arsen Badalyan. — It is this difference in income that largely shapes the economic attractiveness of employment in Russia. At the same time, the business additionally incurs the costs of flights, accommodation and other organizational issues.

Companies are expanding the range of countries to find employees, as competition for workers from the CIS has intensified, Arsen Badalyan added. Due to fluctuations in the ruble exchange rate, some labor migrants have shifted to other markets, including Europe, where the income level in terms of the national currency turned out to be higher.

The main barrier to attracting staff from abroad remains the long period of paperwork. As Oksana Tokareva explained, the company first needs to confirm that it is impossible to hire Russian citizens for these positions by first launching a vacancy and collecting feedback.

— Then the government authorities consider the application of the business to attract workers according to migration quotas. It usually takes about two months without taking into account the time to finalize the documents," the expert added.

Should we expect an influx of residents from abroad

The main driver of attracting workers from abroad was their awareness of the employment opportunities, said Arthur Leer, President of the Association of Exporters and Importers, Managing Partner of Lex Alliance Law Firm.

"Business quickly saw the advantages of this approach: specialists from Asian countries have proven themselves to be disciplined, responsible and quickly trained employees," he stressed. — After seeing the successful cases of the pioneers, other logistics operators and companies from related industries began to adopt their experience, which led to a noticeable expansion of the scope of this human resource.

However, risks remain when working with foreign employees, the main one of which is compliance with migration legislation, Sergei Peskov noted. It is important for employers to monitor the deadlines of documents, interact with government agencies on time and properly register employees.

"In addition, organizational difficulties are possible: delays in registration, changes in rules, seasonal fluctuations in employee availability and interaction with unreliable intermediaries," the expert added.

The essence of the organized recruitment mechanism is that foreigners do not come "to nowhere", but for a specific vacancy, being selected even before crossing the border.

According to Sergey Peskov, the share of foreign employees in logistics will remain high in the coming years and may increase slightly in some areas, primarily among warehouse staff.