British Intelligence update on Ukraine as of May. 7
Russia is almost certainly facing its worst labour shortage in decades. The Russian Central Bank surveyed 14,000 employers and found that the number of available employees was at its lowest level since 1998.
Over the last three years, Russia’s population has reportedly decreased by two million more people than expected due to the impacts of COVID-19 and the war in Ukraine.
Russia saw up to 1.3 million people leave the country in 2022, including many younger and well-educated people in high-value industries.
The Russian Ministry of Communications said that about 10% (100,000) of the IT workforce left the country in 2022 and did not return.
Mobilisation, historically high emigration, and an ageing and shrinking population is limiting the labour supply.
This will likely lead to a reduction in the potential growth of the Russian economy and risks stoking inflation.
