Since the national educational system is not providing Russia’s IT industry with enough qualified IT workers, these cadres must be attracted from abroad, said Nikolai Nikiforov, Russian Minister of Communications and Mass Media, in a forum on international investment held in Moscow last week.
“The IT industry, indeed, is experiencing an acute shortage of qualified human resources, which neither our demography nor our educational system is currently fulfilling. The growth of this industry requires an adequate migration program,” the Russian IT portal CNews.ru reported Nikiforov as saying.
The Minister’s point of view was supported by most of the prominent industry and university representatives who participated in the forum.
“Silicon Valley developed thanks to the talented Indians, Chinese and Russians who went there. Around 60% of the Valley’s engineers are not Americans,” said David Yan, CEO of Abbyy, a major Russian software publisher that has expanded internationally.
“Most of the Valley’s local population serve coffee and repair cars, while the professional and business elite is made up of migrants from other states or foreign countries,” noted Yurii Ammosov, who teaches at the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology.
“If Russia could attract 50,000 to 100,000 skilled young foreign engineers, Russian young people themselves would understand that they can earn money using their brains here, instead of languishing in tiny retail outlets,” Yan added.
Since 2010, foreign “highly qualified specialists” whose yearly salary exceeds 2 million rubles (approximately $65,000) have enjoyed a simplified procedure for obtaining a 3-year work permit and visa.
But a large number of Russians – even in the thriving IT sector – still feel they are not offered sufficiently attractive professional opportunities and living standards. Many consider leaving Russia, according to recent surveys.
