“Sanctions didn’t appear yesterday”: Smolny announced readiness for a crisis in the labor market

Despite the “unprecedented” level of sanctions against Russia, the situation on the labor market in St. Petersburg is extremely stable, Dmitry Cherneiko, head of the city’s labor and employment committee, told reporters.

According to him, 16,500 unemployed have been officially registered in the northern capital.

“The number of calls last week has slightly increased. Now it has again reached a stable form, as in early February, ”said Cherneiko.

As the official noted, there are a lot of rumors and talks around foreign “leaving networks”, but to date there are no official notices of staff reductions. All enterprises comply with the legislation of the Russian Federation, keep the average wage or at least two-thirds of the average wage, Cherneiko is sure.

“Sanctions did not appear yesterday. Since the 14th year, they have only increased. And seriously, there have always been sanctions against our country. <…> We have a shortage of people everywhere. And in this regard, there is where to go to work, at least as of today or tomorrow, ”said the Smolny representative.

He added that the administration does not expect “sharp surges” in the labor market, but retraining programs are already being prepared. St. Petersburg is able to work quickly with changes in the field of employment, Cherneiko concluded.

Earlier, many foreign companies announced the suspension of their activities in Russia due to the presence of the Russian armed forces in Ukraine and for other reasons, including logistical ones. In St. Petersburg, they promised to stop working, in particular, McDonald’s, IKEA and Prisma.

For more information about whether foreign corporations can return to the market, what threatens their absence, and whether “friendly” states are able to fill the vacant niche, read the material of Rosbalt.