Migration in Russia in January-July 2015

For January-July 2015, overall migration results demonstrate a rather sustainable situation. Migration growth constituted 131.4 thousand persons. This is barely 11.5 thousand less (9 p.p.) than for the same period last year. Major changes taking place in Russia's migration pattern consist in the fact that for the first time over many years migration exchange with Uzbekistan has come out negative. The Ukraine is undoubtedly leading in the migration increment whose share amounts to 65% of the total net-migration. Over nine months of the current year, total number of issued work patents has shrunk by a quarter. After all, due to the replacement of work permits for visa-free citizens with work patents system not only for employment by individuals (existed last year) but also by legal entities in a stable situation, migration flow should have grown. Nearly threefold fell the number of issued work permits for highly qualified and qualified specialists. Thus, indicators registered by external labor migration compared to long-term one clearly indicate to the crisis features in the Russian economic system