Russia’s unemployment rate held steady at 2.2% in September 2026, unchanged from August and in line with market expectations. On an annual basis, the rate was also flat compared with 2.2% in September 2025. The labor force aged 15 and over remained at 76.7 million people, including 75 million employed and 1.7 million unemployed, up from 1.6 million unemployed in the previous month. Registered unemployment stayed very low at about 0.3 million people, or 0.4% of the labor force. Compared with a year earlier, the number of unemployed increased by 0.3%, while employment grew by 0.6%.
Labor market conditions remain tight, reflecting persistent worker shortages across multiple sectors, driven by military mobilization following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 and ongoing emigration. Authorities expect these labor constraints to continue, forecasting a worker shortfall of around 3.1 million by 2030.
