General Characteristics and Regional Differences of Migration Processes in the Russian Far East in the Post-Soviet Period

Abstract

Based on the analysis of statistical data, the results of a comprehensive assessment of migration processes in the Russian Far East, including the dynamics of nonreturn migration, as well as internal and external labor migration, are presented. This paper analyzes regional features of the dynamics of migration processes in the Russian Far East in the post-Soviet period (1992–2016). Whereas migration turnover in the Far East before 1997 was marked by the largest share of migrants that moved within Russia, excluding Far Eastern regions, it has been determined that from 2000 to the present, the share of migrants within the Far East exceeds the total share of migrations outside this macroregion and international migrants. Analysis of internal labor migration highlights the leading role of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast in the share of the economically active population engaged in labor activity outside the region of residence. The study of the dynamics and territorial structure of international labor migration for the period covering 2010–2015 reflects the loss of the Far East’s leading positions in the number of attracted labor immigrants, including from China, among the Russian federal districts. It has been found that immigrants engaged in labor activity involving patents predominate in most Far Eastern regions. The study of migration policy from 2013 to 2017 has led to a conclusion about the opposing approaches at the federal and regional levels to attract immigrants to the labor market in Far Eastern regions.