Sales positions saw a significant increase of 46% in 2024.
In a notable shift, employers in Russia have been offering new recruits an average monthly salary of 66,700 rubles, reflecting a 14% increase. The surge in demand can be observed in several sectors, most notably e-commerce, agriculture, household services, and finance.
Business development managers and client managers have experienced a significant rise in demand, with increases of 2.7 and 2 times, respectively. The e-commerce sector's growth is linked to the development of online sales, leading to a higher need for competent workers capable of managing sales both online and offline.
Agriculture follows as the second-fastest growing sector, with a 32% increase in vacancies compared to 2023. Average salaries offered stood at 53.8 thousand rubles per month, a 36% rise. The demand for farm workers, vegetable growers, and gardeners has increased by 85%, 34%, and 25%, respectively.
The sectors of household services and finance have also shown significant growth, with an increase of 21% in both sectors over the year. In household services, there was a high demand for fuelers, while the finance sector experienced a 2.5-fold increase in demand for bank workers.
According to data from Rosstat, the real wages of Russians increased by 7.2% year on year in October 2024 and by 8.9% over ten months of the previous year. The wage in October was 86,582 rubles, an increase of 16.4% year on year. Significant wage growth was noted in the financial and insurance sector, the information and communication sector, as well as in extraterritorial organizations and bodies, and in the extraction of minerals.
The Russian labor market is characterized by low unemployment, with the unemployment rate remaining around 2.3%–2.4% in early 2025, but overall labor demand has declined sharply in 2025 due to economic stagnation. Despite a record shortage of approximately 2.6 million workers nationwide, certain sectors, such as agriculture and household services, continue to face stagnation or decline in employment and wages due to structural economic challenges.
In sectors experiencing labor shortages, such as trade (including e-commerce) and manufacturing, wages tend to grow stronger as employers increase pay to attract workers. Conversely, sectors like agriculture and household services face sluggish wages due to declining employment levels. Policies are being developed to address labor shortages through measures promoting gender pay equality and workforce inclusion to support wage growth and employment levels.
In the finance sector, there has been a notable increase in demand for business development managers and client managers, with a 2.7 and 2 times rise respectively. This growth can be attributed to the surging demand in several sectors, including finance.
The growth in the e-commerce sector is linked to the development of online sales, leading to a higher need for competent workers capable of managing sales both online and offline, making finance a sector with a significant rise in demand.
