The Russian Ministry of Labor presented a large-scale project to cut jobs for labor migrants for 2026. The new rules will seriously affect the labor market in key industries, including a complete ban on foreigners working in specialized stores selling alcohol and cigarettes.
Reduction in the share of migrants
The agency plans to significantly reduce the permissible share of foreign workers:
• Construction: reduction fr om 80% to 50%.
• Agriculture and forestry, wood processing: from 50% to 40%.
• Food service industry: introduction of a new quota of 50%.
Complete ban on alcohol trade
The strictest innovation will be a complete ban on the employment of foreign citizens temporarily staying in Russia in the retail trade of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products in specialized stores.
Regional specifics
The project provides for individual restrictions for 29 constituent entities of Russia. For example, in the Amur region, migrants will not be able to be involved in food production, and in the Ulyanovsk region - in passenger transportation.
All employers will be required to bring the number of their foreign employees into compliance with the new norms by January 1, 2026.
Frequently asked questions:
1: What changes should migrants expect from the Ministry of Labor?
The Ministry of Labor plans to reduce the share of foreign workers in construction from 80% to 50%, in agriculture and forestry - to 40%, and also introduce a new quota for the food service industry - 50%.
2: What work will be completely banned for migrants?
Starting in 2026, a complete ban on migrants working in the retail trade of alcohol and tobacco products in specialized stores is proposed.
3: Which regions will be subject to special quotas?
Special restrictions will apply in 29 constituent entities of Russia, including the Amur and Ulyanovsk regions, wh ere migrants are planned to be banned from working in food production and passenger transportation, respectively.
4: How to calculate the permissible share of foreign workers?
The share is calculated as the ratio of the number of foreign workers to the total number of workers in a given organization.
5: What to do if a company has exceeded the new restrictions?
If the amendments are adopted, the employer will be obliged to independently bring the staff into compliance with the law by January 1, 2026. Otherwise, they may be held administratively liable for violating migration legislation.
Photo source: https://ru.freepik.com/
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