Labor Mobility of Migrants from the Post-Soviet Expanse States at the Russian Labor Market

Abstract

In this chapter social, demographic, and employment profiles of labor migrants from the CIS countries and Georgia who are present at the Russian labor market currently. The principal attention is paid to the labor mobility in the aspect of types of economic activities and occupations and in the aspect of their vertical mobility according to the EGP classification. Coming to the Russian labor market migrants with experience of work are forced to change the type of economic activity and occupation. Change of job in Russia promotes upward mobility along the extent of adaptation. However, such lucky people constitute the minority. And downward mobility is specific for all groups of migrants. Neither specific skills nor knowledge of foreign laborers possess are not sought out at the Russian labor market. Particularly disturbing are the scales of foreign laborers’ “over-qualification,” a considerable part of whom are engaged at jobs that make no demand to laborer’s skill. Creation of elevators for labor migrants’ upward mobility, with taking into due attention their vocational training and skills, is in interest of not only all actors of the labor market but of the Russian society at large for it is interested in intelligible integration policy.