Russian defence industry lures workers amid staffing crisis

Russian defence factories are short-staffed. Companies entice potential employees with high salaries, training, and shift work. The Russian branch of the BBC reports that firms are looking for as many as 90,000 people.

They posted approximately 90,000 job advertisements from 15 August to 15 September alone. Vacancies are particularly severe among skilled workers. Companies are looking for engineers, turners, and programmable machine operators. According to the Russian branch of the BBC, defence companies offer salaries three to four times higher than the average earnings in the given region to attract these specialists.

Some plants are also willing to train new employees, providing them with the necessary skills. One solution to the staffing shortages was the rotational work method. In the first half of 2024, the median salary of shift workers was £1,300, one-third more than the previous year.

The increase in salaries goes hand in hand with the number of vacancies. From January to July, the number of unfilled positions rose to 460,500, an increase of 32%, according to the Russian BBC. The Kalashnikov factories—known for producing firearms—are facing the biggest staffing problem. In just one month, they searched for an additional 500 workers.

A worker working in a shift system - up to 11 hours a day - six or seven days a week, can expect a salary of up to approximately £1,600.

In June this year, Russia's Deputy Prime Minister Denis Manturov announced that staffing shortages in military factories had reached 160,000 people. According to him, in less than a year and a half, companies producing weapons for the Russian army have already employed 520,000 workers, but the demand for personnel remains high.

As the Russian BBC reports, the staffing problems stem from various aspects related to the war in Ukraine: citizens fleeing abroad, partial mobilisation, and increased production.