Russia's long-term joblessness nearly doubles
In Russia, the number of people unable to find work for more than a year has nearly doubled. The share of unemployed individuals in Russia searching for employment for over a year has increased.
Consensus
- The share of Russians unable to find work for 12 months or more increased from 9.7% in July 21025 to 13.3% by July 2026.
- The number of people experiencing long-term joblessness is approximately 226,000.
- The official unemployment rate in Russia remains at a record low of 2.3%.
- The average duration of job search in July 2026 was 5.1 months.
- Women take longer to find work than men, with an average of 5.6 months compared to 4.4 months for men.
- There is a growing shortage of workers in production and construction, while competition is increasing for office roles such as administrators, secretaries, and sales managers.
- Companies are delaying hiring and adding more tests, extending the recruitment process up to six months.
- People who are long-term unemployed do not receive unemployment benefits, which are only paid for six months after job loss.
Points of divergence
- Prof. Alexander Safonov from the Financial University attributes the rise in long-term joblessness to economic slowdown, workforce optimization by employers, reduced vacancies, and structural shifts like digitalization. — vesti
- HR expert Zuliyah Loikova identifies systemic issues and candidate behavior—such as mass template applications, refusal of compromises, and poor resume customization—as key barriers to job placement. — vm
- Loikova notes that AI algorithms are creating a 'battle between two AIs,' where AI-generated resumes are easily detected and rejected by experienced HR professionals. — vm
- Loikova reports a rise in inappropriate behavior among job seekers, including insults and threats during interviews, indicating high societal stress. — vm
- Young people, pre-retirement and older individuals, women with young children, people with disabilities, and those returning after maternity leave face the longest job search periods. — tg_astrapress
- Victoria Pavlyushina of ATRÉ notes that the labor shortage is concentrated in production and construction, while office roles face intensified competition. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
- Anna Khripchenko from the Presidential Academy states that companies are making hiring more complex by adding extra tests and prolonging the process. — tg_moscowtimes_ru
Coverage (6 sources)
- Search for a new job is taking more time for Russians — Вести
- Hidden becomes visible. How unemployment is growing in Russia — Радио Свобода
- Situation with job search in Russia in autumn-2026: opinion of HR expert — Вечерняя Москва
- In Russia, the number of people unable to find work for more than a year has nearly doubled — ASTRA
- In Russia, stagnant unemployment began to rise — The Moscow Times
- The share of Russians who have been without work for more than a year has risen to 13.3 percent — Вечерняя Москва
Key entities
- Russia
- Rosstat
- Izvestiya
- Moscow
- KP.RU
- Safonova
- Financial University
- Alexander Safonov
- HR-expert
- Zulya Loikova
- VM
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