Russia ratifies employment pact with India

Russia’s parliament has ratified a temporary employment pact with India as Moscow prepares to take in thousands of Indian skilled workers this year, particularly in construction and logistics.

The State Duma approved the agreement on October 1, followed by the Federation Council a day later. The pact was signed in New Delhi on December 4 last year and governs temporary employment of Indian citizens in Russia and Russian citizens in India.

Russia has agreed to take around 70,000 skilled Indian workers during 2026, Indian Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar told a parliamentary consultative committee last week, the Press Trust of India news agency reported.

The agreement covers employment and service contracts, as well as full-time students who take temporary jobs outside their studies. Moscow says the framework will help regulate labor flows from India in line with the needs of the Russian economy.

Workers covered by the pact cannot receive worse pay or working conditions than local citizens in comparable jobs. Employment generally requires a work permit, while compensation in cases of layoffs, as well as pension, social security, and medical insurance, will be governed by host-country laws and applicable bilateral agreements.

Russia has increasingly turned to India to meet workforce shortages. Authorities estimate an immediate shortfall of at least 2.3 million workers, including around 800,000 in manufacturing and 1.5 million in services and construction.

The number of work permits approved for Indian nationals has risen sharply, from around 5,000 in 2021 to almost 72,000 last year, accounting for nearly a third of Russia’s annual quota for migrant workers requiring visas.

The labor pact was among several agreements announced during Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to India last December, including a separate accord on combating irregular migration.

The agreement will formally enter into force once both governments complete the required domestic procedures and the final written notification is issued.