The number of labor migrants in Belarus has been growing for three years in a row. Last year alone, the number of Belarusians working abroad (without changing their permanent place of residence) amounted to 95.4 thousand people, the Chairman of the Council of the Republic Mikhail Myasnikovich reports.
“There are problems with external labor migration, especially the departure of highly skilled workers,” the newspaper Zvyazda quotes Mikhail Myasnikovich.
In 2017, the number of Belarusians working outside the country (up to 1 year) was 83 thousand, of which 83.9% worked in Russia. These are data from a sample household survey to study employment problems. In 2016, 59.5 thousand people worked outside the country, in 2015 — 39.4 thousand, in 2014 — 62.2 thousand people.
According to the MIA Department of Migration and Citizenship, 11,093 Belarusians left for work abroad in 2018. This is a record amount. The figures presented by the countries where Belarusians go to work are usually higher. For example, according to the Department of Migration and Citizenship, 2 Belarusians were employed in Latvia last year, and according to the data of the Latvian side, their number was 1,824.
The authorities have repeatedly raised the issue of labor migration. For example, in order to keep the medical workers from leaving, they plan to prepare a decree allowing for additional salaries to individual specialists working in healthcare.
Previously, it was decided to raise the salaries of builders who leave Belarus for work. The Ministry of Construction and Architecture explained that in 2017 almost 50% of all those who left to work abroad were builders.
Earlier in November 2018, Alyaksandr Lukashenka said that the most important tasks of the construction industry are the preservation and development of human resources.
“In recent years there has been a serious outflow of specialists. Over the last five years, the industry has lost more than 50 thousand workers, the best workers. They go to work abroad. Why are our contractors not visible there?” the head of the country asked.
Back in August 2018, Lukashenka drew attention to the problem of low wages and labor migration. According to him, every fourth Belarusian, who left to work abroad, is from the Vitsebsk region, the press service of the head of Belarus reports.
Previously, the issue of “tangible” labor migration was raised at the Federation of Trade Unions’ meeting. The organization is convinced that in order to contain it, it is necessary to “provide Belarusians with modern conditions for retraining along with the growth of wages”.
