About 1.7 million people arrived in Russia from the other four EAEU countries in 2022 to work — the same number as in 2021. More than half of them came from Kyrgyzstan (1 million people). The information report Eurasian Economic Integration, which was prepared by the Ministry of Economy of the Russian Federation, the Analytical Center under the Government and the All-Russian Academy of Foreign Trade, provides such data.
It is noted that the single labor market of the EAEU countries began to be gradually formed since the formation of the union in 2014-2015. The first to be adopted were the norms allowing citizens of the union countries to work without a license or work permit. They are not subject to quotas of the Ministry of Labor on the permissible share of foreigners in sectors of the economy. By 2019, the issues of pension, medical and social insurance of coming workers were regulated.
The report shows that most of the migrants coming to work are employed in industries such as construction and retail trade. Remittances they send back home can account for up to a quarter of a country’s GDP, such as in the case of Kyrgyzstan (23.8 percent of GDP in 2022).
Relatively massive departure of Russians from the country, which occurred after the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine and then due to mobilization, has somewhat altered migration flows in the EAEU.
For example, according to estimates of the Armenian government, about 100,000 Russians moved to this country last year, while labor migration from Armenia to the Russian Federation is estimated by the authors of the report at 300,000 people.
It is still impossible to estimate what part of those who left the country continues to work remotely for Russian companies, thus in fact remaining part of the labor market of the Russian Federation.
